


Freaks

by Ein_Nachkussen



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Angst, Gen, Imprisonment, Super power AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-11 08:58:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 86,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8973208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ein_Nachkussen/pseuds/Ein_Nachkussen
Summary: (SUPERPOWER AU) After 11 strangers wake up in an unknown location for an unknown purpose they must work together in order to escape.There is one thing that everyone has in common: superhuman powers: they're freaks. From telekinesis to superhuman strength, each person has their own unique ability and differ in how well they can control their powers.  Can these strangers learn how to cooperate with each other and their powers in time to save themselves and escape before they're doomed to a life of imprisonment and exploitation?





	1. Introduction

“They’re certainly active ones, aren’t they?” 

“Heh… It hasn’t taken them long to realise what’s going on.” A sigh broke the momentary silence between the man and the woman as they stood before a wall covered in television screens, each displaying the surveillance within each holding room. “They’re all so young… why do they have to be so young?”

“Hm… I’ll show you through them, you will need to learn them off by heart.” 

“I suppose. I am going to be watching them.” 

“In room one are two brothers from Berlin, Germany. The eldest, Gilbert Beilschmidt turned twenty one in the past few months. He exhibits the ability to temporarily evaporate his entire body into a black steam, before reappearing somewhere within a two metre radius. He’s a teleporter. And there has been an instance where he has taken someone with him on one of his ‘trips’ so there could be more to his abilities that we haven’t seen yet.” 

“Amazing. But how can we be sure that he won’t escape?” 

“Oh… we have made special arrangements for his case… Nevertheless, the blonde is eighteen year old Ludwig Beilschmidt. They are an odd pair, never before have we seen siblings who didn’t share abilities. Ludwig possesses superhuman strength; he is able to stop a train with his body alone. That boy is near indestructible.”

“I take it that he is an escape risk as well? I am assuming that special arrangements have been made for him as well.” 

“You are right in assuming that. Arrangements have been made for everyone.” 

“What’s going on in room two?”

“This is where these freaks get interesting. In room two are our second set of siblings. Unlike the Beilschmidt, the Vargas’ share an ability. We tracked them down in Naples, Italy. They have recorded cases of extreme hyperactivity; endless energy which is accompanied by superhuman agility and speed.” 

“What’s their top speed?”

“We hope to find out. We do know that they can outrun cars without trouble.” 

“Amazing.” 

“Now, in room three we have nineteen year old Alfred F. Jones from Cypress, United States. He possesses some form of telekinesis: object will move around him, whether he wants them to or not. This has led us to believe that his powers are emotionally charged, or he simply has no impulse control.” 

“How much can he control.” 

“He’s lifted a car, that’s how we found him.” 

“Oh my god. But hang on, why is he alone? I thought we placed them into holding cells in pairs.”

“Oh, Alfred isn’t the only one in there. You just can’t see him. In there somewhere is nineteen year old Matthew Williams from Toronto, Canada. He can turn invisible, and it appears that he’s using it right now.” 

“How can I see him?” 

“We use infrared whenever he does this, watch.”  
With a click of a button, the screen displaying room three turned into a display of bold primary colours. The whole room was a bold yellow and green, whereas two red figures stood in the room. “There he is.” 

“Ahh… Would Alfred know that he’s there?” 

“I doubt he’s even registered that there are even two beds in the room. Now, in room four we have Francis Bonnefoy from Paris, France. He is different from the others because his powers are not physical, but mental. He’s a mind reader and has even been documented to search through the memories of others. However, he seems to have a problem controlling himself…”

“Who’s the arsonist?”

“That would be Arthur Kirkland, a twenty one year old delinquent from Liverpool, United Kingdom. As you can see, he has the ability to generate and manipulate fire.” 

“It looks like he’s going to burn the door down!” 

“Oh, I’d love to see him try, you see: his fire doesn’t burn as hot as his temper. Soon he’s going to run out of flames to throw, if he keeps going he’ll knock himself out.” 

“So, judging by Francis’ history… he’s reading the Brits mind right now.” 

“Most definitely.” 

“Moving on, in room five we have twenty year old Kiku Honda from Kyoto, Japan. We believe him to be a decedent of a long line of Japanese heroes, as he has completely developed sword-like blades under the skin of his forearms. We believe that this trait is genetic, and has been passed down through many generations of his family. At his own will he can release and sheath these blades without causing any harm to himself.” 

“Interesting, so does he have any other family that has this ability?” 

“His mother is the only other one. So statistically, he should be the last of his kind…” 

“Oh…”

“Now, we have Yao Wang from Nanjing, China and he is the oldest of the group at twenty-three, he can generate and manipulate an electrical charge and release it as surges of electricity and is capable of creating his own lightning shocks.” 

“Amazing…” 

“Now lastly in room six, we have nineteen year old Ivan Braginski from Yakutsk, Russia. He has displayed no signs of warmth within his system. He can only generate cold from his body and can spread frost to anything he touches with his bare hands. It is believed that he can manipulate ice to his will, but we question the legitimacy behind these claims.” 

“So, he has no body heat?”

“None whatsoever. If you look closely, you can even see his breath, he’s cooling the atmosphere of the room.” 

“Do we have another invisible one in there?”

“No, we chose to leave him alone. I don’t want any of the others catching a cold because of him.”

“Which should I watch out of the most?”

“All of them. They are all dangerous and unpredictable in their own rights. They all pose as risks to each other, us and themselves. This is only temporary accommodation for them before everyone else is ready. It shouldn’t last long. They should have everything they need in there with them.” 

“Ok…” 

“Now… let’s release the freaks from their cells. And let the experiment begin.”


	2. Beginning

“I can—“

“You won’t!” Ludwig replied firmly, making his older brother sigh. 

“But what else are we going to do?” Gilbert asked, extending his arms to remind Ludwig of the situation they faced. The brothers had woken up in a small white room, furnished with two beds, two bedside tables and two sets of drawers. The room was completely symmetrical and it shook Gilbert to the core, as only a door offered them any hope of escaping.  
“You know what I can do. I can just teleport through the door and come out on the other side.” 

“But we don’t know what’s there,” Ludwig pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest, “this has to be a trap, or a test. If we pretend to be normal for long enough, they may think that they’ve made a mistake.” 

“Ludwig…” Gilbert sighed, knowing that there was no way these people would think that they’ve made a mistake.  
The brothers were caught on video...

“How long to do you want to wait then?”

Ludwig didn’t answer, but turned his back to Gilbert, his way of prematurely ending the conversation.  
“Just don’t go.” 

Gilbert grumbled as he turned his back to Ludwig and looked straight at the door, wondering what could possibly be on the other side. He pondered the possibility of just teleporting to satisfy his curiosity, and possibly offer Ludwig a chance to escape if they were indeed being watched. 

\---- 

“FUCKING FUCKS!!” Arthur roared, preparing his next attack, feeling the power of his flames form on his arms, “LET US OUT!!”

With one heavy swing, Arthur shot fire at the door like a flamethrower, screaming as he struggled to keep up the intensity of his fire. However, after many attempts like this, Arthur had become too worn out and fell to his knees in a huff as smoke rose from his forearms, signifying the end.  
Damn it all, Arthur thought bitterly. 

“It was a nice try though, you lasted a little longer this time.” The voice of the man who simply laid on the bed without a care said, Arthur couldn’t tell whether the voice was supposed to sound patronising. “Not patronising. I appreciate you trying to get out; it just doesn’t seem to be working very well. You need to know when to stop.”

Arthur slowly turned his head back to look at the Frenchman, seeing that he was still lying on the white bed, but had propped his head up with the pillows so he could watch Arthur properly. “H-how…”

“Mind reader.” The Frenchman chuckled, answering Arthurs question before he could properly ask it. “It appears that we are not alone in this world. My name is Francis.” 

“Arthur,” Arthur muttered, still huffing from his strenuous effort, “But you already knew that, didn’t you?” Francis smiled at Arthur’s suggestion, knowing that he was correct.  
“What do you suggest we do about our situation then, hm? Is there anything else that you can do?” 

“Well…” Francis murmured, before shrugging, “I’m useless, you’re hopeless: we’re not getting out unless they want us to.” 

“And they are?” 

“The people who brought us here…” Francis murmured, looking around the room for any surveillance tools, like cameras or microphones. Despite nothing being in plain sight, Francis knew that they were definitely being watched that very moment. 

“Fucking great…” Arthur hissed as he rose from his knees and lumbered towards Francis’ end of the room, before collapsing onto his own bed. 

“From one prison to another…” Francis chuckled, only to receive a poisonous glare from Arthur, knowing exactly what he was talking about. 

“You’ve been too far into my mind for my comfort…” Arthur growled, “And I suggest you stay out if you know what’s good for you.” 

“I wish I could too, it’s not like I want to read your mind; you have nothing nice in there…” Francis sighed, “I can’t help it because you’re stuck in my radius.” 

“Shit…” Arthur hissed, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling, pondering about what is going to be done to them as soon as that door opens. 

\---- 

Alfred growled like an animal as he felt the vibrations of his power roll through his body, as though something inside of his was begging for control—begging for him to create destruction and chaos. 

He lost hold for a moment and shook, sending a bed flying towards the door that blocked his freedom, before he finally got a hold of himself and stopped the bed from moving any further. 

The situation had driven his ‘condition’ into overdrive, nothing was distracting him from the monster that lived within him and the stress and anxiety was not helping! 

Alfred felt something clawing inside of him, sending a tingle up his arms as he felt another surge of power build up. He couldn’t think of anything but his peril and how he cannot control it, Alfred quickly became overwhelmed as he remembered the last time he had lost control of his powers. He fell to his knees and gripped his hair tightly, hissing and cursing, begging for the force inside of him to give him a break from this hell.  
He didn’t want to hurt anyone…. 

“Are you ok?” A voice asked, pulling Alfred away from his suffering, Alfred hadn’t even realised that there was someone else in the room with him: and they watched him break down like that!  
Alfred looked up, hoping to see the source of his distraction, but saw no one in the room with him. 

“Hello…?” Alfred whimpered, praying that he wasn’t going insane, that his powers had finally taken control of him for good and he was hallucinating as he destroyed the world. 

“Oh!” The voice chirped before a figure appeared before Alfred, sitting on his knees to be at eye level with the American, startling him. The young man stumbled to comfort Alfred as he jumped back in fright, shocked by his sudden appearance, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to freak you out!”

Suddenly, the fire inside Alfred started to cool, as he thought less about his peril, and more about the stranger who just appeared in front of him out of nowhere. Any distraction is a perfect distraction to take him away from his struggle. 

“Dude, what—“

“I’m Matthew!” Matthew said, extending his hand to Alfred, who shook it with his trembling hand, “are you feeling ok? I noticed that you…” 

“You saw me move the bed, didn’t you?” Alfred asked, hanging his head in shame for having been so reckless to expose himself… 

“Yeah, but that’s ok!” Matthew replied, placing his hand on Alfred’s shoulder, deeply concerned, “I was invisible just then, like you.” 

“Whoa…” Alfred murmured, “you’re just like me…” 

Matthew nodded in response, happy to feel as though he has just made a friend, despite their situation…  
As well as that, Matthew and Alfred were both happy to not feel so alone. 

\----- 

“Have you tried the door?” Feliciano asked. 

Lovino huffed, “of course I have!” Suddenly he zoomed to the door and returned to Feliciano within the time space of two seconds, “I just tried it again, nothing! We’re trapped!” 

Feliciano knew that his brother wouldn’t have used his ability for such a minimal task, he was stressing, and so using his powers more. 

Even Feliciano had begun to notice the change in himself, he was moving more rapidly, speaking quickly and fidgeting with his hands and legs.  
It was then that Feliciano realised that his brother was right, they are trapped, there is no way out for them. He doesn’t know where they are or what is going to happen to them, they were trapped like prisoners! There was going to be no escape, no hope, they’re going to die here!!  
Feliciano shook as tears started to run down his cheeks, his hands trembled as he struggled to properly push his locks of auburn hair off of his face, which only failed miserably. He felt hopeless and powerless all over again.  
The bothers had been moved from one prison to another, they were only pawns that other people used for their own gain. 

Feliciano’s thoughts became worse, and more dangerous the longer he thought about it, and he only became more erratic in his movements and speech. “No, no,no,no,no,no—“ 

“Snap out of it!” Lovino snapped snatching Feliciano by the shoulders in an attempt to hold his vibrating little brother still. “Just because there isn’t a way out now, it doesn’t mean that there never will be! We can outrun anything they throw at us.” 

“But they still caught us!!” Feliciano hissed, looking up at Lovino, “they still caught us!” 

“That’s because we didn’t know what we were up against,” Lovino scoffed, “we will outrun them, we can outrun anything that tries to hurt us. We will escape.” 

Feliciano didn’t say anything, but only hoped that his brother was right. Despite knowing that Lovino was only putting on his brave face to protect Feliciano, he may as well reward Lovino’s efforts with some hope of his own. 

\---- 

As soon as Kiku woke to find himself trapped, he began to panic, the last thing he remembered was being dragged away from his home, knowing that he mother was still in there. He had to find her. 

“Calm down, we’re going to get out of here, somehow…” the young man said, Kiku looked at him as he contemplated what he could do next, as the white door between him and his freedom was tightly shut. 

The young man had introduced himself as Yao when he awoke from his slumber, and he was just as confused and angry as Kiku to be in this situation. 

“You don’t understand, my mother is out there, I have to see if she’s ok!” Kiku replied. 

“It doesn’t look like there’s anything that we can do from here…” Yao murmured, running his hand along the door, feeling the coldness of the white metal that kept them trapped inside the bedroom. Yao sighed before his dark eyes glanced over at Kiku, reading his defeated expression, “why do you think you were put here?” 

“I’m… odd…” Kiku replied meekly, unsure of whether to confess to his abilities so soon, however he couldn’t think of any other reason as to why he would have been captured: perhaps Yao was the same. 

“Right.” Yao sighed, crossing his arms over his chest, “it appears that we are not alone, I am odd too.”

“Do you have swords?” Kiku asked, intrigued by the idea of someone being like him, clinging onto the hope that he was indeed not destined to be the last of his kind. 

“No,” Yao replied, “I… Heh, I don’t even know how to describe what I do. I can manipulate electricity and generate lightning.” 

“Huh…” Kiku murmured. “Could there be more people like us out there?” 

“We don’t know that until we have the door open, and I think that when it’s going to happen is beyond our control…”

“Although… it is nice to know that my family aren’t the only people who are not normal…” Kiku sighed happily, knowing that his mother would be happy to hear the news too; that there is at least one other person who possesses an ability beyond the human limitations.  
And he knew that no matter what, he was going to get back to her again. 

\---- 

Once again, Ivan was alone… who was he kidding? He was always going to be alone, did he seriously think that he could last like how he was in an environment full of other people.  
He got discovered, and now he’s going to suffer for it. 

He sat with his knees against his chin and his arms wrapped around his legs. Despite the tightness of his position, he could see the frost begin to spread from where he sat, to the sheets of the bed, soon the entire bed will be covered in a small layer of frost.  
Ivan sighed loudly, and saw that his aura had become so cold; he could see the cloud of his own breath. 

He pondered over how long he was going to remain here, and what he could possibly do about his current situation: and neither of these thoughts obtained resolutions.  
But yet, Ivan can’t accept defeat, can’t he? He still had so much life left in him; surely he wouldn’t allow himself to be doomed to a life of solitude and imprisonment. It was his first battle with loneliness that drove him to go outside and make a life for himself in the first place. 

But yet, it was that exact mindset that got him discovered. Someone just had to see…  
Ivan was tempted to remove his gloves and free his hands; no one was here to see it… He decided against it, just in case… 

Ivan couldn’t help but stare at the door, he hadn’t even bothered trying to open it, and there would be no reason as to why it would be open. Ivan knew as soon as he woke up that he was going to be a prisoner, so why would he even bother checking if the only door out was open. 

Ivan could not help but think about his sisters, the ones he left behind in order to protect from himself… The last time he saw them, Natalia, the youngest, was very sick and Ivan knew that it was because of him, it was his coldness that brought sickness to her many times. He feared that someday he would bring her death… 

He shook his head, refusing the think of the painful memories again, as he did not want to trap himself in another cycle of thinking and pain.  
Ivan was alone all over again, and he should have learned to accept that by now. 

Ivan couldn’t help but look at the door now, and wonder about what mysteries laid on the other side. He wondered about whether it led to more rooms, or more people, perhaps more like him? He quickly crushed this hopeful thought by rationalising that the people behind the door probably intended to hurt him, and were only waiting for the right time to act.

However, Ivan did shudder in his place a little when a deep grumbling noise echoed through the room, like the grumbling of machinery. Ivan couldn’t help but worry over what the loud noise meant. Was his end coming, was he going to be rescued, or had his hell only just begun?  
The grumbling came to a sudden halt, and the door slowly swung open, leaving the Russian with his chance to escape.  
But he didn’t move. 

\--- 

“What the…” Francis gasped, sitting up from his place on the bed, seeing in the corner of his eye Arthur doing the same. Arthur was the first to get off of the bed, readying his arms to burst into flames, just in case. 

Hearing his ideas of exiting the room, Francis slid off the bed and stood by Arthur as the Englishman began to creep towards the door, unsure of whether someone would be there waiting for them. 

Francis didn’t need to be a mind reader to see how Arthur was feeling; he was scared and trying to put on a brave face. Francis tried to pull his concentration on Arthur’s thoughts; he focussed back on the situation before him. Despite his efforts, Arthur’s thoughts still ran through his mind. But Francis had become used to this constant voice in his head already, he always hears the thoughts of the people around him, whether he wants to hear them or not.  
Surprisingly as soon as he and Arthur left the room, he didn’t hear anyone else in his radius. He looked up and down the long white hallway, where doors littered both sides of the hallway, with one archway leading into another room at the end of the hallway. The three doors on the opposite side had ‘Bathroom,’ ‘Showers’ and ‘Gym’ engraved onto the doors. 

“HEY!” Arthur snapped when he saw someone else creep out of one of the doors on their side of the room. 

“Someone else…” Francis whispered as another figure joined them.  
And suddenly, everyone came closer, and Francis could hear more voices in his head.  
They were all thoughts of confusion and fear, everyone had been released at once and no one knew what was going on.  
“Arthur.” 

“What? What do you hear?” Arthur asked. 

“We’re all prisoners…” Francis stuttered as more people came out from the doors, all with their own thoughts, their own journeys and their own concerns. No one here was threatening. 

“What is this?” An American asked, looking at the sign to the bathroom, “is this a dorm?” 

“It looks like it,” Francis agreed as more people joined them in the middle of the hallway, Francis counted the presence of ten minds all together. Everyone was confused and frightened.  
The presence of this many minds wasn’t something that Francis couldn’t handle, he came from Paris after all, he could listen to thousands of minds a day, then was a mild encounter for him.  
However, he had never read the minds of people like him. He could hear it in their thoughts, everyone here has powers, and everyone was taken from their homes and forced here. 

“Are we all…?” the eldest German asked, his eyes narrowing, already suspecting what Francis knew. 

“We are.” Francis nodded. 

Suddenly two figures dashed down the hallway, running past everyone with such speed, the wind that followed them flowed through Francis’ blonde hair.  
Just from this miniscule encounter, Francis got enough information from them: the Italian brothers were acting without finding out the situation; they were speeding through to find a way out. Before he could find out anything else, they were out of his range. 

“What was that?” Arthur asked. 

Francis sighed, “More of us.” 

“Does anyone else know what is going on? Why are we here?” The Chinaman asked.

“No one knows what’s going on, we’re all the same.” Arthur sighed, before crossing his arms over his chest. “We’re all…” 

“Hang on, there’s so many of us!” The American pointed out, smiling over the fact that he wasn’t the only strange person out there. Francis could hear his thoughts about how he found joy in finding people alike, and forming possible friendships. 

“Is this really all…?” The Japanese man asked, sighing deeply, Francis could feel his anxiety boil, wanting to find someone important to him. 

Suddenly, the Italians returned to Francis’ radius, sadly, their thoughts sounded disappointed: telling Francis that they didn't find a way out, but he can't know for sure: he isn't fluent in Italian.  
“In there is just a kitchen and living area…” The youngest Italian sighed, defeated. 

Not wanting to stand around for much longer, the group made their way down the hallway, with some checking the bathrooms and gym, only to see that it all appeared to look perfectly normal. Like they’re expected to live there. 

The kitchen was very modern, with black tiled flooring, wide marble benches as a large refrigerator. Many cupboards littered the walls, and the drawers offered any tools that the group would need to make food. A large wooden table divided the kitchen from the living area, where a large TV donned the wall in front of a group of large black leather couches.  
It appeared quite comfortable, and Francis could tell that many people would enjoy living here, minus the circumstances. 

“What the fuck is this?” Arthur growled. 

“It looked like a dorm, but there’s no way out…” Alfred replied, turning to look down at Arthur. “So… what do you do?” 

Francis couldn’t help but smile, seeing that the American was making the best of the dark situation. Francis supposed that it would be a good idea to become friendly with these people. 

However Francis knew that becoming comfortable in a situation like this would be the worst thing to do.  
No one knows how long the peace will last.


	3. Comfort

Despite the door being open, Ivan did not move from his place on the bed, as he assumed that nothing good would be waiting there for him. He could see figures briefly walk past the door, and could hear voices of people talking outside. He didn’t want their attention.  
He stared down at his gloved hands; the black leather was the only thing that could allow Ivan to pretend that he was normal. 

Suddenly, Ivan looked up as someone walked past the door, entering Ivan’s room. Ivan’s eyes widened as he stared at the blonde man, with narrowed light blue eyes, the young man smiled at Ivan before speaking. 

“I thought I could hear someone in here…” He pointed out, revealing a French accent. 

“I didn’t make any noise,” Ivan pointed out bluntly, frowning at the Frenchman’s admission. Who was this guy? Why was he dressed so casually, was he not here to take Ivan away?  
As Ivan thought these things, he became more anxious. Even more so when the Frenchman frowned and tilted his head as he stared at Ivan, as though he had just said something peculiar. 

“My name is Francis,” Francis introduced, stepping towards Ivan’s bed where he sat, stopping when he noticed the thin layer of ice and frost that had spread over the blankets.  
Francis could feel the coldness that radiated off of Ivan, and he frowned as he tried to assess what he could do next, he knew that Ivan was afraid, and his cold exterior was not going to melt away easily.  
“I can see that you are feeling anxious, and that’s ok,” Francis began, awkwardly placing his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. For once, Francis was struggling to find the right words to say, as he struggled to understand the complicated language of the Russians thoughts, but the anxiety was overwhelming. He struggled, as the Russian hadn’t translated his thoughts, “There are more of us outside. There are ten. We’re all like you; we all have our own abilities, powers and fears. It would make everything easier for you if you came out and met everyone.”  
Ivan didn’t respond, he didn’t know what to say to the man who stood before him, he was still in shock over the fact that this man hadn’t come to hurt him.  
However, how could Ivan be so sure that Francis was telling the truth?  
“We are not going to hurt you.” 

Ivan frowned as he connected the dots, he had barely said anything and yet this stranger was talking as though he knew him well and so he asked, “You can read my mind, can’t you?” 

Francis nodded, smiling kindly at the Russian, as though he was a new friend, “I don’t speak Russian, so your thoughts are safe from intrusion. Heh… I feel sorry for the English speakers, their minds are like open books to me.”  
Finally, Ivan cracked a smile, which was all that Francis wanted. “See? I am just like you and there are many more of us out there. None of us know what is going on, or why we have been brought here. Outside there is a bathroom, a gym, a kitchen, even a TV.”

“Oh?” Ivan asked, tilting his head slightly, becoming more relaxed in his sitting position as it became clearer that Francis did not intend to hurt him, “How many people are there?”

“There are ten of us outside, so you would be number eleven,” Francis explained, “We are from all over the world and all have our own abilities, as I said. I just happen to be the mind reader.” Francis sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, “none of us understand why this is happening and we are all scared of what is going to come in the future. We’ve looked around and there are no ways out. But we are going to stick together and defend each other, no matter what comes for us. You should be a part of that. Besides, you’d relate to a lot of us.”  
Francis looked down at Ivan’s blankets, seeing that within the couple of minutes of their conversation, the ice had spread further across the bed and knew that Ivan had noticed his staring. 

Ivan sighed as he tightened the grip that he had over his knees, pressing himself further into his little ball, as though ashamed, “I can’t control it…” He murmured so quietly, Francis could barely hear it. 

“I know how you feel because I can’t control myself either. Everywhere I go; I can still hear other people’s thoughts, no matter how much I try to ignore it… Although, outside there are more of us who have little control over their abilities, so that gives me comfort.” Francis explained.  
Francis sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest, unsure of what else to do. He knew that he couldn’t force himself into Ivan’s memories, for even if he did: there was no way that it would offer any help to the situation, and so he fought off this urge... But yet, he knew that it wasn’t going to go away easily. There was always an itch in the back of Francis’ mind that called for him to invade the minds of others.  
So, without anything else to say, Francis turned his back to Ivan and began to walk out of the bedroom. He had done all he can, the rest was up to Ivan now. “Come out when you’re ready.”

Ivan pressed his chin against his knees, unsure of whether to get up right away and jump into the action. He wondered, was he really ready to meet other people like him? He had been used to being alone for so long, the idea of other people being like him caught him off guard. It made him feel vulnerable and insecure.  
What if he is the worst of the group? What if they don’t like him? What if he is still a freak even when compared to them? 

Despite how hard his anxiety tried to kick him down, Ivan knew that this was an issue that he could not ignore. He was going to have to go out there and face them, and the best he could do for now was hope for the best. 

\---- 

Since the atmosphere had calmed down, people began to sit around and talk amongst themselves, talking about an array of topics. Alfred and Arthur sat on the couch in front of the TV, whilst Yao and Kiku sat on the chairs near them, with the four of them engaging casually, wanting to distance themselves from their anxieties and fears by talking about where they came from and their interests. And of course, Matthew was nowhere to be seen. 

“Food, water, movies, books, paper and pens…” Ludwig grumbled, mentally noting down particular aspects of the facility, “Why have they given us everything that we’d need.” 

“They’ve given us the things we need for survival and for entertainment, and it looks like they’ve spared no expense,” Gilbert added, leaning over the kitchen bench from where he sat on the stool on the opposite side of the bench. “I don’t like this one bit.”

“They want us to live comfortably…” a voice behind Ludwig said, Ludwig turned around to see the Italians standing behind him.  
It was the youngest, Feliciano, who had spoken, while Lovino was getting two glasses of water. The brothers were both dressed in white buttoned up shirts, but Feliciano wore jeans while Lovino wore black pants. Whilst Ludwig and Gilbert were dressed in their casual clothes, with Gilbert wearing a red t-shirt and black ripped jeans, whereas Ludwig was dressed in a grey jumper and jeans. 

“That’s obvious,” Lovino spat as he crossed his arms over his chest, obviously still feeling bitter about the situation, “we should be thinking about how we are going to be getting out of here.”

“Well, do you have any ideas?” Gilbert asked.  
Lovino frowned as though deep in wonder, knowing that he couldn’t find any signs of an exit while he was running around.  
Gilbert’s eyes narrowed, seeing Lovino’s struggle, “you know, if we can find a place, perhaps I can go through the wall…”

“Are you insane?” Ludwig asked, “You’re not doing that; imagine what measures they have in place to keep you from escaping. Imagine what they have beyond those walls!” Gilbert sighed, knowing that Ludwig was right. 

“He has a point,” Feliciano agreed, “We all saw how strong the door was against Arthur’s flames; they obviously have put measures in place to make sure that we can’t break anything.” 

“I don’t like this at all, this is going to drive me crazy,” Lovino murmured before looking to the group of people who sat on the couches, as though wondering about the mental stability of some members of the group, “who knows it will be before someone gets a case of ‘cabin fever’.” 

“Don’t even suggest it,” Ludwig grumbled, although, he couldn’t deny that there was a risk of people becoming irritable. Besides, he knew nothing about the people who stood around him, as far as he knew: he could only trust his brother. However, the youngest Italian seemed to be the most interesting. 

Meanwhile, Alfred, Arthur, Kiku and Yao were sitting around the couches, with Alfred and Arthur sharing one, whilst Kiku and Yao sat on the chairs opposite each other. They all sat comfortably in their silence, having run out of things to talk about. However, there was not much that any of them wanted to talk about in the first place, none of them knew each other well enough to get into the private details of their very private lives…  
The silence was driving Alfred crazy, as he feared that his powers would try to take control of him again. 

“Do you think we’re being watched?” Alfred asked, breaking the silence within the group. Arthur lifted his head from looking at the floor to look up at Alfred with a confused frown to see that Alfred was already looking at him, as though knowing that it would be Arthur who responded to him first. 

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about our situation,” Arthur pointed out crossing his arms over his chest. 

However, Kiku shrugged, “Perhaps this is a study, we are all rarities, and maybe they want to find out what gave us our powers.” 

“I still don’t like the sound of that…” Yao sighed, leaning forward to support his head with his hands. “I don’t want to be in another freak show…” 

Suddenly, Francis returned the living area, looking around at the people who sat around, he sighed before walking over to the centre of the room, crossing his arms over his chest, deep in thought. 

“Did you find something?” Gilbert asked Francis. 

“Not really, there’s an eleventh member of our group, he’s just in his room, and he should be coming out soon.” 

“OH!” Alfred exclaimed, excited, “I was wondering what the other door was for.” 

“I have been thinking,” Francis pointed out, “We should figure out what brought us here.” Francis looked over to Arthur, realising that Arthur was already guessing what Francis had in mind. “I propose that you let me look through your most recent memories.” 

“What?” Yao asked, suddenly becoming shaken by the suggestion, much like many of the other members in the group. Yao could only think about the sad memory that the Frenchman would bring to the surface. It made the Chinese man extremely anxious; however, he couldn’t deny the logic behind the Frenchman’s plan. 

“Well, it’s the only thing that I can think of, if I look through your recent memories, I can notice things that you perhaps didn’t and maybe I can find out more about what is going on.” Francis explained, hearing the thoughts of the other members of the group rejecting his idea; none of them wanted Francis to look through their memories.  
However, there was one mind in the room that was sympathetic to Francis’ idea. 

“I think it would work,” Matthew announced, revealing himself to be standing next to where Alfred sat on the couch, startling the American. “Think about it, with a second perspective we can learn more about the people who took us.” 

“I suppose, none of us have anything to hide, correct?” Ludwig pointed out, growing more familiar to the idea, seeing that it makes sense.

However, this didn’t change the fact that Ludwig was still anxious towards the idea.  
Lovino was still struggling against the idea, “Just how much do you plan to look at?” 

“Only your most recent memory, the last thing you did before you woke up here, and I won’t go back any further than that, I will try,” Francis explained. “I can do it privately, so just in case if I go too far, it will be between us only.” 

“Will you be able to control yourself and focus on specifics?” Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows. However, Francis could see that Arthur had already agreed to the idea, despite asking this question. 

“I can try, if you become uncomfortable, you’re welcome to wake me up. All it takes is a tap on the shoulder and I will pull myself out of your memory,” Francis explained. 

“It’s decided then,” Arthur exclaimed, standing up off of the couch before turning to face Francis, “you already know a lot about me, so I may as well go first.” 

Francis nodded as Arthur made his way towards him, “understood.”  
Together the Englishman and the Frenchman left the room and began walking to the bedroom they were originally in.  
“Thank you for that, it would have taken more convincing before anyone else would have volunteered to go first.” 

“I just figured that since you’ve been in my mind already, there’s no point in me holding anything else back,” Arthur shrugged, “you know where I’ve come from, and probably what I did.”

“Yes, Arthur… I know,” Francis sighed, “but I also know that it was not your fault. It was an accident.”

“Just how far have you been into my damned mind already?” Arthur snapped, fighting off the temptation to smack the Frenchman in the shoulder, before sighing, “in fact, never mind answering that. You’re about to know everything anyways.” 

Arthur sat down on the bed, taking the end with the pillows, whereas Francis sat on the opposite end, becoming comfortable as his back pressed against the cold metal bars. As he closed his eyes, Francis took in a deep breath, hearing Arthur’s current thoughts. 

The Englishman was of course worried, who wouldn’t be? A complete stranger is about to look through his memories, and hopes that he lands in the right one. Arthur had done many things that he is not proud of, and has secrets that he would prefer to take to his grave as well as things that Arthur would prefer to forget. 

However, there are some memories that will haunt Arthur for the rest of his life, and he had no doubts that Francis was about to see all of them. 

Francis finally reopened his eyes, staring Arthur with eyes that were glazed over with white, and in a soft but deep voice he commanded, “Close your eyes and focus, it will make it easier.”  
Arthur listened and closed his eyes; frowning as he tried his best to think of where he was the moment he was taken away. He thought about what his life was before he woke up here.  
And Arthur braced himself to be confronted by some terrible memories.


	4. Inferno

“LOCK HIM IN, NOW!!” The orderly barked as Arthur cried out, igniting the fabric of his blue uniform, making the other guards and orderlies scream in shock as the burning one was doused with the fire extinguisher. 

“Search him and his room and find that fucking lighter!!” 

Arthur roared as he tried to ignite his arms, but he had lost the energy, he glanced past the orderlies and security guards who held him back, trying to get to the bastard who was stupid enough to start a fight with Arthur. “LET ME AT HIM! I’LL FUCKING KILL HIM, I WILL!!” 

“Arthur, CALM DOWN!!” The orderly instructed as Arthur was led down the hallway forcefully, screaming and kicking like a child in a tantrum, “WHAT HAVE WE TOLD YOU ABOUT FIGHTING?!”

“FUCK YOU!” Arthur snapped as he was pushed into his cell, and the heavy metal door slammed behind him. Arthur roared as he kicked the door, 

“DON’T MAKE US TIE UP THAT STRAIGHT JACKET OF YOURS!”

Suddenly Arthur stopped and took a couple of steps away from the door to his cell, finally starting to calm down as the raging fire within him began to burn out. 

He couldn’t even remember what the poor bastard did to start the fight, but he was sure that the boy was going to go to hospital with burns. He probably started the fight by talking about Arthur’s sentence… Or the fact that Arthur won’t be free until he is in his late thirties. Arthur was sentenced to HMP Liverpool youth detention centre until he turns twenty-two, where he will be then transferred to an adult male prison to live out the rest of his sentence. 

As he laid on the bed he felt his body return to normal temperature, he wondered why he did this to himself, why was he born with this? He would have had a perfectly fine life if it wasn’t for his stupid abilities and even more stupid temper!

Arthur’s father used to say that he had been odd his whole life. But yet, the old fool never knew how right he was. However Arthur only used the extent of his oddities when he was a teenager, he ran into the woods outside of his family home and set fire to trees using his own hands when he was angry with his brothers. 

He thought he could handle it, if he only used his powers in secret then everything was going to be ok.  
And then the nightmares started after he turned sixteen.  
He dreamed of being engulfed in his own flames, he couldn’t breathe as the thick smoke filled his lungs, he couldn’t move as his limbs burned away.  
At first the nightmares were manageable, as the flames in his dreams couldn’t hurt him in reality. 

However, his nightmare became reality when he woke up screaming as the result of a nightmare, only to see that his bedroom had been ignited in powerful flames. He panicked and screamed as he ran though his house, the flames blocking the stairway, he tried to yell out to his family, but no one responded. It was like the dream that he had been suffering from for the past few months. 

The reality only settled in and Arthur realised that his entire house was on fire… He helplessly fell to his knees as he watched the disaster unfold. His arms and legs went numb as he heard the roar of fire engines ring behind him and the lights of police cars flash in his face. 

\----- 

Months later, a voice rang through his ears and sent a shiver through his entire body. 

“Arthur Kirkland, the jury has found you guilty of arson and second degree murder. I sentence you to twenty-three years to life.”

Arthur was transported to the prison with handcuffs around his wrists, with the flashing lights of the media’s cameras blinding him as he was taken away to start his sentence. 

His own country made him out to a madman, a killer, a heartless slaughterer. The people of Britain believed that Arthur had set the fire on purpose and that he wanted to kill his family. Arthur couldn’t argue the claims, because if he did, it would mean that he’d have to explain his powers. To the outside world Arthur was the heartless arsonist who murdered his whole family. 

Francis sighed as he watched Arthur lie on his bed, staring at the ceiling as the tears dripped down his cheeks. Francis looked around the room and understood why Arthur was so angry, there was nothing in here for him to do but think. And Arthur’s thoughts haunted him.  
Francis’ ability allowed him to enter the minds of others, and observe as an entity. However, he couldn’t interfere with other people’s memories as he feared what would happen if he did. And so he kept his distance from the subjects of the memory, and restricted himself to being an observer. 

Francis looked at Arthur’s clothing, because of his tendencies; Arthur had to be dressed in fireproof pants and a jacket that they borrowed from an asylum, which happened to double as a straightjacket. Everyone knew that keeping Arthur in a straightjacket was breaking all kinds of violations: but no one seemed to care enough to stand up for Arthur’s rights.  
Arthur didn’t deserve to be here, he had already been through enough. 

Arthur’s reputation and his portrayal in the British media has made him a target in the detention centre, he has been a target of bullying and multiple beatings, most of which Arthur has lost control and burned the assailants, which only brought him more trouble. Francis didn’t need to see the bruises that lined Arthur’s back and arms, all telling stories of how other inmates would punch him as he walked by, or called him a fire-pixie, arsonist or even tease him about the length of his sentence. 

He knew that someday he was going to be transferred to an adult prison, where he knew that he would suffer, he knew that he was going to be the weakest one there. He knew already from experience that a prison depends on survival of the fittest. He would not survive there, not with what he did, not even his powers would be able to save him. 

Suddenly, the door buckled and unlocked, and multiple guards and orderlies marched in, all wearing fireproof uniforms. 

“OI!” Arthur snapped as he was pulled off of the bed and onto his feet, no one spoke as his straightjacket was fastened, “HEY! You can’t do that!”  
Francis could feel Arthur begin to panic, this had never happened to him before, nor had he ever been handled so roughly. 

“You’re being transferred.” One guard said. 

“NO!” Arthur snapped, fighting against the restraints of his jacket, terrified over the idea of going to an adult prison. “NO!! NO!! PLEASE NO!!!” 

Arthur tried to fight the push of the men behind him as he was forced down the hallway, people parting to make way for the guards and the erratic prisoner. Francis could only watch on as Arthur was forcibly dragged down the hallway, kicking and fighting against the crowd of men who escorted him away.

“LET ME GO!! STOP IT!!” Arthur screamed. 

Arthur was expecting to go through the main exit, however instead he was led towards the back entrance, the one that only served for deliveries. Why was he being transferred here? Francis spotted a number of dark cars around the outside of the prison, as one of the guards commanded for the gate to be open. The metal and wire gate slowly slid open as Arthur and the guards approached. Everything about this transfer seemed wrong, where is the media, the warden, more security?! 

Francis heard Arthur think these things in a panic as he realised that he was not being transferred to another prison, but to these people, what kind of system would allow such corruption, even to a misunderstood criminal like Arthur.  
He’d rather stay here in youth detention than go anywhere near the men in suits who stood around the cars, waiting for Arthur to be handed to them like a piece of damn property. 

“FUCK OFF!!” Arthur snapped, activating the fire on his arms, however, the fireproof fabric of the straightjacket prevented Arthur from effectively burning anything. His fire was patted out before it would even start. “I’LL FUCKING BURN YOU ALL!! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!!” Arthur growled like an animal as he tried again and again to set his arms alight, so much so that smoke was escaping from the gaps of his collar. 

Francis wanted to help, he really did… but… if he did he knew that he would be interfering with Arthur’s perception of the memory, or even hurt him. Besides… this event is in the past so there was nothing that Francis could do to change the outcome. 

Arthur wheezed and hyperventilated as he jumped and kicked like a toddler having a fit as he had a last attempt to escape from his captors grasps as they pushed him through the gate. It was the first time Arthur had been outside of the detention centres walls in years. 

While Arthur was panicking and screaming, Francis took a closer look at the people who were about to take Arthur. Men in dark suits with expressionless faces were watching as Arthur’s prison guards began to talk with them, negotiating the exchange. 

So… this has been organised prior, this is not just some random collection. The prison would have needed higher approval before doing something so illegitimate. These people who are collecting Arthur now must be the same people who have captured all of them; this is a much higher conspiracy than anyone could have anticipated!  
What kind of authority do these people have if they’re allowed to take someone out of prison?! 

“No...” Arthur whimpered, losing all of his energy, he could barely feel his own legs as he was handed over unceremoniously to the men in suits, who quickly attached a clear plastic oxygen mask onto Arthur, forcing him to breathe in a sweet tasting and powerful chemical. 

Arthur was powerless to fight back, and Francis could only watch as the Englishman’s arms and legs became numb and breathing became heavy. Arthur struggled to remain conscious as he breathed in more of the gas, and his vision blackened, listening to the muffled voices of his new captors as he was placed into the back of the black car, where he was finally rendered unconscious, and so the memory ended. 

Francis’ vision returned and his eyes returned to normal, waking from his visions always made Francis a little dizzy. He weakly looked up at Arthur to see the Englishman’s tears roll down his cheeks. 

“Oh Arthur…” Francis sighed, reaching for Arthur, feeling his need for support; however, Arthur stood up from the bed and wiped his tears away with his black sleeve. 

“Who do you want me to bring in next?” Arthur asked. 

“Don’t you want to hear what I have to say about your memories?” Francis asked, placing his hand on Arthur’s arm, as he remained seated on the bed. 

“No… I don’t want to hear anything…” Arthur whimpered.  
Even though Francis couldn’t see his face, he could hear the thoughts that were causing Arthur to cry.  
‘It’s my fault, I killed them, I don’t need that damned Frenchman to tell me that’  
‘They’re dead because of me’  
‘I don’t deserve to live, I should be rotting in prison’  
‘I’m a monster’

“It’s not your fault,” Francis pointed out, holding onto Arthur arm in order to prevent him from giving in on his urge to run away. “You did not mean to react to your nightmare; you can’t control what you do in your sleep. They are the ones who refused to understand you.”  
Arthur didn’t reply, but hung his head slowly, staring at the floor.  
“You deserve a chance; don’t be so hard on yourself. It wasn’t your fault and I won’t rest until you understand that what happened was beyond your control. You didn’t want this; you didn’t want any of this to happen. You’re not a monster.” 

Arthur wiped his eyes again, getting rid of any more tears, “right, I think you’ve been in my head long enough, thank you very much… Who do you want now?”

Francis frowned, understanding that Arthur was stubborn and this healing was going to take a lot of work on both their parts. “Matthew.” 

Without another word Arthur marched out of the bedroom, his hands tightened into fists.


	5. Disappear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this may warrant a tw for abuse

Matthew used to have a good life. He used to enjoy waking in the morning and look forward to the day ahead of him. And it was all because of his mother.  
She was a vibrant and extremely young, even though she was single and young; she still gave Matthew the best she could. She never let Matthew know what struggles she went through to keep him, but she made damn sure that he knew that Matthew deserved everything he got. Even during the hard times she made sure that he was enjoying himself, but remained grateful for everything he received.  
He didn’t need or want a father: all he needed was her, and he was going to be set for life.  
Sometimes they would spend months living in his mother’s van, travelling throughout Canada, it was like a travelling holiday house for Matthew, and he used to love every minute of it. His mother was laid back and cool, she wouldn’t be shy around him, being open and honest with every question he asked about the world. She was his guardian, his teacher and his best friend. As a young boy, he had put her on such a high pedestal, that nothing would bring her down in his eyes. She was bold in her fashion, wearing crop tops and brightly coloured shorts accompanied by combat boot, and she was not afraid to let being a mother stop her from dressing as young as she was, and she did not give a crap about what other mothers had to say about her. She was fierce and admirable, those other mothers were just too arrogant to see it.  
Others would raise their noses in judgment at her when she dropped Matthew off at school, other kids would ask the young Canadian why his mother wasn’t married, where his father was and tell him what their mothers had said about her. Despite all of this, Matthew mother was still perfection to him, because she was his superhero.

Until the day she got married.

This man literally appeared in Matthew’s life out of nowhere. He even had the boldness to introduce himself to Matthew as his ‘future father’. As a twelve year old, Matthew saw right through his bullshit and saw the narcissistic douche that laid underneath the confident and suave exterior. It seemed that the distasteful first impression was neutral. He would push Matthew out of the way when they crossed paths in the hallway and during summers he would try to find summer camps to send the boy to. 

After the wedding, Matthew did note a change in lifestyle that he and his mother went through, they moved to a bigger house, they got a new car, Matthew moved on to go to a nicer high school, they had more things… But… Something didn’t seem right. It was like his mother wasn’t there anymore. She never left the house, she didn’t crack as many dirty jokes as she used to… she even wore a turtleneck and floor length skirt combo: something that Matthew didn’t think was possible from a woman as young and confident as her. He even noticed how she covered her neck and arms every time Matthew entered the room, as though she was trying to hide something. 

He became even worse the longer they remained married, he would yell at her and Matthew. He especially hated Matthew, targeting him in most of his rants and tantrums: if something didn’t go right, it was probably Matthew’s doing. Matthew was a ‘little bastard’ and ‘a mistake.’  
Matthew theorised that his stepfathers unfounded hatred of Matthew stemmed from the fact that Matthew was turning into a young man: the step-father was going to get old and wasn’t going to be the biggest man in the house anymore. The taller Matthew got: the more he threatened his step-fathers position of power and Matthew dreamed of the day where he would be big enough to stand up to him.  
Matthew also guessed that the hatred towards him came from the fact that Matthew existed. His new wife had already had a kid that wasn’t his… and so Matthew and she had to suffer from his testosterone fuelled rage.  
Even looking at that man… Matthew’s blood boiled… why did his mother do this to them? They were perfectly fine on their own! Why did HE have to come and tear through them like this!? WHY DID SHE LET HIM?! This wasn’t fair; this man is hurting them both: why is she keeping him?!  
Matthew KNOWS that she sees the way her husband treats her only son, what mom would allow that to happen!? She was the perfect mother before he came around and ruined everything for them!! Everything was fine before this douche came alone. Matthew didn’t need or want the things he gave them, all he wanted was his mother back… 

Matthew stomped around his room and threw things around for a while and screamed into his pillow like an angry child, he spent hours in this state. He began to dread his life. He no longer looked forward to tomorrow, that ambitious and happy child was gone and dead.  
It was in one of his angry fits that Matthew discovered what he could do by passing by the mirror and realising that he had no reflection… He had become invisible; he played around for a while, learning that he could control it by his own will. 

And so, Matthew put his abilities to good use, he was going to tear his mother and step-father apart! It was for the best and he had the purest of intentions.  
However… what he with his powers did put those morals to question. 

He took out every inch of anger that his sixteen year old body could possibly contain on them. He would growl in a demonic voice as he threw objects across the room and push chairs. In well-timed weekly sessions, Matthew would turn invisible and unleash hell on his step-father and mother, making sure that they will feel pain for what they did. He would flip the table; smash the walls, break the tableware and appliances, and pull at their blanket, he pretended to be a poltergeist or a demon, anything to scare the living daylights out of them. He wanted them to hate it and fear him!  
They ended up moving house three times because of him. His mother became convinced that they were haunted, whilst his step-father refused to back down, despite the fact that he screamed like a little girl whenever Matthew would attack.  
Matthew wanted them to divorce so badly, he was tempted to write ‘DIVORCE’ on the wall with ketchup to get his fucking point across.  
Matthew loved to watch them cry and scream in fear, terrified of what the ‘demon’ was going to do next… But as soon as they would scream for Matthew, he would run and reappear from the bathroom, just for perfect coincidence. 

However, it all came crashing down one day when his step-father snapped during one of the haunting sessions, and ran to where he guessed that the invisible figure was standing, judging from where he threw books off of the bookshelf. Matthew screamed as he grabbed Matthew and pressed him against the wall, being shocked as he didn’t expect to actually feel something in his grasp. 

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” His step-father screamed as he shook around the invisible figure like it was a rag-doll, unaware that it was his eighteen year old step-son. 

Matthew screamed in his step-fathers ear, desperate to break free from his grip and escape. But that only got him a strong punch in the face, with the shock forcing him back to visibility. His vision blurred as a sudden coolness rushed through his face, and he tasted blood as he struggled to feel the floor and wall around him, falling onto his back like a toppled-turtle.  
But he could clearly hear his mother gasp in fear. 

It must have been more terrifying than the haunting sessions themselves, realising that their own child was the one behind their worst miseries as well as the fact that he was capable of doing such a thing. 

What followed Matthew’s returned to consciousness was hours of interrogation and violence, because his step-father was determined to find out how Matthew pulled off such an elaborate stunt. There were punches in the gut, strikes against the head and face and yelling in the face. 

Matthew was no longer afraid to talk back to his step-father and hiss, his powers giving him new confidence as he stood up to him.  
But as soon as Matthew stood from his seat, he was pushed back down and slapped across the face for his disrespect. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that you little shit! Who do you think you are, talking to your dad like that!!” 

“I DON’T HAVE A DAD!!” Matthew roared, gnarling his teeth at his enraged step-father, which earned him another cold slap. Matthew silently wiped the dripping blood off of his lip.  
Matthew couldn’t help but panic internally, even if he did want to tell them about his powers, they’d only think he’s a freak, and throw him out. Not even his mother would stand up for him … but then Matthew remembered that she doesn’t stand up for him anyway. 

So he had to swallow his pride and admit his discovery and admit that he was the reason that the adults struggled to sleep at night, that they had to move house three times and why they spent thousands of dollars in repairs and replacements.  
He had to admit to them that they were living with a freak. 

\---- 

Francis watched as Matthew fumbled with the keys to the front door, struggling against the bitter cold of the famous Canadian winter. Matthew saw the lights on from inside the house, knowing that they were home; and so he had to avoid them and go to his room without making a noise. He didn’t want them to know that he was home; he didn’t want to have to face them again. It had never been the same since Matthew told them about his powers; he’s damn lucky that he’s still living here. 

This wasn’t the only source of his anxiety, Matthew knew that his step-father was filming him, and even ordering him to go invisible on camera… And because he wanted to keep living there, he complied. That bastard had footage of Matthew using his powers, what was he going to do with it? 

Matthew quietly shut the door and slowly kicked off his wet and snowy shoes, placing them amongst the others. He could hear people talking from the living room down the hall, with many of the voices belonging to people that he didn’t recognise. Probably HIS friends. That would also explain the unusual amount of cars that lined up on the street in front of Matthew’s step-fathers large white house.  
Matthew tried his best to sneak down the hallway and make his way towards the stairs. However, the traditional wooden flooring was not on his side, the flooring sung with every step he took, clearly giving away his position. 

“MATTHEW!!” The voice of his step father roared from the living room, sending a chill down Matthew’s spine. “COME HERE!!”  
Matthew hesitated, before his step-father snapped so loudly and angrily, it made Francis jump with fright. “NOW!!” 

A shiver shot up Matthew’s spine as he changed course and began to walk towards the living room, crossing his arm over his head. Before he reached the light of the living room he slid the hood of his black hoodie off of his head, revealing the head of fluffy blonde hair that was hidden beneath. 

In the living room was his step-father, mother and a small group of men in dark suits, all staring at Matthew with the same emotionless glare, as though the Canadian was staring at an empty vessel. 

“These men are interested in your ‘gift,’ Matthew, why don’t you show them?” His step-father asked, with a glare that made the Frenchman suspicious. 

“Um…” Matthew murmured, looking to his mother, only to see her staring at him with saddened eyes. “Why…?”

“Just do it…” Matthew’s step-father grumbled, giving his step-son a more venomous and threatening smile, telling Matthew: do it or I’ll make you.  
Matthew got this message, and his eyes widened, fearing what his step-father would do in the presence of these people. He has berated him in front of his friends before… what was he willing to do in front of people like this?  
Matthew’s eyes darted around the room, counting six men in total who stood around the living room, identically dressed and watching Matthew with identical intense glares. 

Francis wandered around the room and took closer looks at the men, they were dressed like the men from Arthur’s memory… however, now that Francis was standing directly in front of one of the men, he looked down and noticed a tiny broach that sat on the man’s collar… it was a symbol of some kind. It was made out of brass and very tiny, with consisted of three triangles, with the biggest being the outliner and two smaller ones inside of it. Francis could only wonder what this symbol represented. “What’s going on?” 

“Matthew, these people can help you,” his mother explained, trying to rise from her seat, only to be held back by her husband’s intervening hand. “Please…”  
Francis frowned, hearing Matthew’s mother’s confession. Could this be true? Could they have all been gathered as a part of an experiment or research? Could they really be helped? 

“I…” Matthew stuttered nervously. He didn’t know what to do, he knew what his step-father wanted him to do, but yet it did not feel right. He was scared of the men who watched him with such an intense glare, he felt as though he was being watched by hundreds. 

And then, his anxiety triggered his invisibility without his command, his entire body disappeared and everyone in the room reacted. The men were taken aback, his step-father smiled and his mother looked as though she was about to cry. 

Matthew wanted to use this opportunity to make his escape, he could run and open and shut the front door: make them think that he’s left the house, when in reality he is still there… but then they’d notice that Matthew left his shoes behind and there are no footprints in the snow… 

However before he could move, Matthew was snatched by one of the men in suits, and surprised back to visibility. Where he could see the people looking directly at him, their expressions slightly changed to one of more surprise, like they believed Matthew’s step-father now. 

“SEE!!” His step-father cried, “I TOLD YOU! Do you see what he can do!? He has been terrorising my wife and I for years!” 

“Mom…” Matthew stuttered, only to be silenced by a mixture of the stares around him, and his own overwhelming anxiety. 

“Alright…” One of the men aid, revealing an accent that Matthew had never heard before, nor could he pinpoint… “We have seen all that we need to.” 

“Hey!” Matthew snapped as a pair of handcuffs was snapped around his wrists, like he was a criminal that had just been caught red-handed. “MOM!”  
Matthew struggled as all of the men began to leave the room, trying to take him with them, “PLEASE!! LET GO OF ME!! MOM!! LET ME SAY GOODBYE!! MOM!!”  
Matthew watched his mother cry as she tried to rise, only for her husband to forcibly pull her down, no matter how much she fought, he still held her down and no matter how much she cried he remained unsympathetic. 

Francis followed as Matthew was forcibly removed from the house, where more men waited outside, all of them watching as Matthew kicked, screamed and cried. Matthew roared as he tried to fight them off, but there were too many for him to fight off. 

The battle only got harder for Matthew when his face was covered by a plastic gas mask, forcing him to breathe in a sweet smelling gas, which quickly blurred his vision and made it difficult to keep up his fight.  
Slowly, he became weaker, feeling his fight end as the men forced him into the backseat of one of their black cars, which was exactly when Matthew succumbed to the darkness and fell to the power of the gas. 

Francis however, regained consciousness as he and Matthew were pulled out of the memory. As Francis expected, Matthew was feeling nothing but pain and sadness. 

“They didn’t even let me say goodbye. They don’t care about helping us, if they cared: they would have let me at least say goodbye…”  
Francis looked into Matthew’s eyes to see the pain behind those thin circular frames, as the Canadian began to lose his composure and crumble. 

“We don’t know what they’re going to do with us yet, but I can’t help but agree with you… That was unceremonious and unfair on you, you didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry that you had to go through that and I’m also sorry that I made you relive it.”  
Matthew whimpered as he fell forward and into the Frenchman’s arms, breaking into tears. Francis smiled and cooed the Canadian as he hugged him back, stroking his blonde and fluffy hair, admiring its softness. “None of this was your fault…” 

“Thank you…” Matthew murmured as he pulled himself out of the hug, wiping away his tears with his sleeve. “I hope I helped, who would you like me to bring next?” 

Francis thought for a moment, wondering whether Ivan had emerged from his room yet and joined the others. But then he figured that he should ask the next person he asks the Canadian to bring in. “Bring me Feliciano and Lovino.”


	6. Runner

It was in the darkness that two figures zoomed, creating little noise as their bare feet sprinted across the ground like mice, but moving as fast as cars racing down a highway. They were racing in silence, determined to reach the ground floor of their large and luxurious home, the home that they used to be served in, to belong in… But ever since the death of their Grandfather; they had to earn their place in the family. 

They zoomed through the hallways, determined to reach the front door before their boss got home, for they knew that if they weren’t there in time: a punishment would be awaiting them. They jumped off of the railing of the steps and landed as softly as pillows, before resuming their run to the front door, knowing that they were close to reaching the front door, they have travelled throughout the entire mansion in less than a minute. They moved as blurs, even those that they passed barely noticed them, but then again, these people knew about them and what they could do. Perhaps they had just become used to them. 

Francis didn’t have to try very hard to keep up with them, for Francis kept on reappearing as the Italians sped down the hallway under the cover of darkness, knowing that someone was going to be coming home soon, someone with a very impatient and entitled personality.   
Feliciano and Lovino only knew him as Capo. Capo used to be close with their grandfather, perhaps he was a cousin or an uncle: they weren’t sure.  
Lovino was angry about the situation, he was the eldest; he was supposed to protect Feliciano and keep him safe from the suffering: but there was nothing that he could do, he tried to fight it at every turn, even if it meant getting hurt in the process. Whereas Feliciano wasn’t as brave as Lovino, he bent into submission and was willing to do all he could if it meant he stayed alive or with his brother…   
When their grandfather was alive, he made everyone in the Mafia family swear to protect the boys and their gift. They were not to be used for their power.   
Despite this promise, they were being sent to chase cars away not even a month after the old man’s funeral.  
The brothers had become the Mafia’s best weapon, they could run up to cars, as they are driving away, and threaten to shoot. They could dodge bullets without trying and could catch up to people trying to escape and drag them back to the mansion without even trying.   
They had become what their grandfather had feared, weapons.   
However, they never though that their situation could become so bad, they were the equivalent of servants to Capo. They were being denied food or threatened if they refused to use their abilities for the Mafia’s gain.   
It all started when Lovino refused to chase a car, he got hit and denied dinner for daring to go against orders. Since the brothers felt as though they were walking on thin ice, careful to not upset Capo or disobey any rules as they feared how creative the punishments would get in the future. However, that fear did not stop Lovino, he still argued with Capo, he would refuse to give in, and Feliciano could only admire him for that. 

But no matter how many punishments they got, they were still thankful that they were still together. All they knew of trust was within each other; if they lost each other; there was no way that they would be able to cope. They feared the day that Capo will finally be mad enough to threaten their separation.   
The brothers screeched to a halt, their feet dragging across the marble flooring as they slid towards the front door, hearing the doorknob turn. Feliciano switched the lights on and filled the entire entrance hall with blinding light, exposing all of the expensive art on the wall and antique furniture. 

“Good evening, Capo,” Feliciano murmured, looking at the floor as he spoke, his hands joined together behind his back.  
Lovino didn’t speak, earning a bitter glare from Capo. Francis could feel the tension rise within the room, especially when a new figure walked in through the door, glaring at the two brothers with emotionless black eyes. He was tall and well-built, wearing a suit that was as black as his hair.

“Show my associate here what you can do… Lovino, you first, prove my promise right,” Capo ordered, his poisonous glare at Lovino not faltering as he spoke.   
Lovino crossed his arms as he considered the order, wondering whether it was worth disobeying him… But after receiving a worried glare from Feliciano, he figured that it wasn’t in their best interests for him to be a smartass right now. 

“What do you want me to do?” 

“Grab our guest a glass of water,” Capo ordered, a wide smile crossing his pale face, knowing that he had reminded the eldest brother who was in power in the situation.   
Lovino sighed as he braced himself before jumping into a run. Francis hadn’t bothered follow him, as he was reading the memories of both Feliciano and Lovino at the same time, he could swap between them, choosing which memories he could follow. 

As soon as Francis focussed on Feliciano, he could feel the younger Italian’s anxiety growing; he was praying that Lovino would come back soon…   
“Feliciano is just like his brother. We have yet to figure out which is faster; perhaps you can do that,” Capo chattered to his associate, as though proud that he has proven Feliciano and Lovino’s abilities. Something felt wrong about this; Feliciano knew that their powers were supposed to be a secret weapon, something that Capo could whip out as a means of threatening anyone who posed a threat to the Mafia. He had never told someone about their abilities so early, nor even asked Lovino and Feliciano to prove it.   
The stranger didn’t reply, but stared intensely at Feliciano. The youngest Italian began to crumble under the man’s intense stare; his body trembled as he felt the weight of his stare against him, Feliciano felt like an exhibition. 

Francis took this as an opportunity; he stepped around Capo and the stranger, studying the man at a closer view. He recognised the figure and the clothing; he was nearly identical to the men that Francis had seen in Arthur and Matthew’s memories. Standing in front of the man, Francis looked at his face, watching the man as he stared right through him and at Feliciano. Francis looked at his suit, seeing the same symbol pinned to his chest, telling Francis that he was from the same organisation that was orchestrating this whole thing, he felt as though he had seen this man before… but he couldn’t be sure, as every man he had seen looked so alike...   
How did they get access to the Mafia? 

Lovino returned within a minute, holding a glass of water with ice, handing it to the stranger before returning to Feliciano in lightning speed. As though he could sense Feliciano’s anxiety, Lovino stood close to him, pointing his shoulder at Capo and the stranger, ready to protect him. 

“Feliciano. I’m thirsty too, grab me one,” Capo ordered.   
Before Capo could take in another breath after delivering his order, Feliciano had taken off. 

“Who is this anyway? Why are you showing him this?” Lovino snickered, looking at the stranger, wondering who this man was, and why he Capo was so desperate to prove to him that Feliciano and Lovino’s powers were genuine. 

“None of your business,” Capo replied, flashing a sickening smile, which only worsened the pained feeling in Lovino’s stomach. Everything about this exchange was wrong.   
Lovino stared at the stranger, giving Francis even more time to look at him more clearly, as this was associated with Lovino’s memory. His vision became clearer as he looked at the strangers face. He would put money on the idea that he was there when Arthur was dragged into the car outside the detention centre and that he was sitting in Matthew’s living room when he was taken away. And now he is here, with Capo. Why is this man the link between all of them? Is he the one coordinating all of this? 

“Here,” Feliciano sighed, handing Capo the glass of water, avoiding eye contact with the older man. As quickly as he arrived, Feliciano was back by Lovino’s side, staring at the floor again like a nervous child, partially hiding behind his brother, wanting nothing more than to run away for good. 

“I think I’ve seen enough to be convinced,” The stranger said, revealing an American accent, making Francis frown with confusion. The stranger looked to Capo with an encouraging yet sinister smile, “Let’s discuss prices.” 

“What?” Lovino asked, Francis stepped back to watch properly as Capo and the stranger glared at Feliciano and Lovino for daring to question. 

“As I said, this does not concern you. Go to your rooms and don’t do anything stupid,” Capo growled.

“Do you wish to discuss the cost of the pair, or begin with individual pricing?” The man asked, completely ignoring Feliciano and Lovino’s shocked stares. 

Capo looked at Feliciano and Lovino with a sinister glare, “Individual.” 

“Hang on, what are you talking about!?” Lovino growled. 

“This is none of your business, go away!!” Capo responded, snarling as his hand hit his hips; lifting his blazer high enough to reveal the handgun he kept fastened to his belt.   
Instinctually Feliciano grabbed Lovino’s hand and dashed away, leaving Capo with his guest. Feliciano could hear the man’s laughter roar through the mansion as they ran away, but before they could get far, Lovino pulled against Feliciano’s grip, nearly making him fall over from the sudden stop. 

“We have to get out of here!” Lovino snapped. 

“But—“ 

“They’re going to separate us, Capo is going to sell one of us to that AMERICAN, and he’ll keep the other as his weapon!” Lovino hissed, his hands pressing into the sides of Feliciano’s face as the younger Italian trembled. 

“But… we can’t…” Feliciano whimpered, “He wouldn’t…”

“That bastard will do anything with a cheque in front of his face!” Lovino snapped, “Grandpa's not here to keep us safe anymore… We need to move on from here.”

“But where will we go?” Feliciano asked. 

Lovino frowned, not having thought that far, “I don’t know… But we will run as far as we need to go. We’ll be fine as long as we stay together…”   
Feliciano couldn’t say anything, but nodded slightly, his eyes widening with fear.   
“We’re not going to let him tear us apart.” 

“Should we leave now?” Feliciano asked, “We should grab some things to carry, food, clothes.” 

“Fine, we’ll have a bag each, but we need to hurry!” Lovino agreed.   
The brothers had grabbed a small backpack each and had thrown whatever they could fit in there, following small packets of food, and one bottle of water each.   
They met in the hallway in front of their bedrooms, making sure that no one was walking by; they couldn’t afford to be caught now. 

Feliciano and Lovino dashed back to the entrance of the mansion, relieved to see that Capo and his associate had left the main entrance way.   
“Which way are we going to go?” Feliciano whispered as he and Lovino hid behind the wall. 

“We’ll follow the main road, if we keep going north, we’ll eventually end up in Rome. Maybe we can find help there…” Lovino explained, having thought more about his plan. “Anywhere is better than here…” 

Finally, they sped to the front door, clicking the lock slightly on the doorknob to unlock the heavy wooden door from the inside. Francis could feel the anxiety radiating off of the brothers as Lovino pushed the door open and let Feliciano slide out through the small space, before Lovino joined him, and silently closed the door.   
A cool breeze blew through the brothers, telling them that they were finally safe… However, suddenly what could only be described as a spotlight shone on them from on the bottom of the grand staircase that led out to the courtyard. Feliciano and Lovino froze as men in suits like the Americans jumped out of the many black cars that littered the driveway, like they were expecting the brothers, but never expected them to sneak out alone. 

“Lovi…” Feliciano whimpered, seeing the men get out of their cars, holding what looked like guns… and big ones. 

“RUN!!” Lovino snapped, breaking into a run, holding Feliciano’s hand until the younger Italian burst into his own sprint. 

“LOVINO!” Feliciano cried, dodging the cars in the driveway and the men who surrounded them, all astonished by the brothers as they zoomed past them. 

“JUST FOLLOW ME!!” Lovino cried as the brothers burst through the open gate and onto the empty street. They stopped momentarily to figure out which way to go, but the noise of the starting engines of the cars in the driveway pushed the brothers to continue to run. 

“DO YOU KNOW WHICH WAY WE’RE GOING?!” Feliciano whined. 

“NO, SHUT UP!! JUST FOLLOW ME!!” Lovino roared as he and Feliciano picked up speed, gradually running faster as their power built. Lovino and Feliciano jolted with fright as the headlights of the cars flashed behind them, and the noise of their roaring engines became louder and louder. 

Feliciano dashed ahead of Lovino, with a black car following behind him, Lovino growled as he began to catch up, but before he could get close, the car swerved towards him and cut him off as another car zoomed past them, determined to catch up to Feliciano.   
Lovino could only watch as his brother began to panic as the two cars trapped them in between him, whereas Lovino struggled to keep up with him.   
Lovino supposed that this answered the question of who was the fastest between the two of them. 

Feliciano was severing like a mad driver, barely able to keep running in a straight-line. Lovino frowned when he noticed the windows of the back seats roll down, and the long barrel of a black gun stick out of the window. 

“FELI! DUCK NOW!!” Lovino cried.   
However, he couldn’t stay focussed on Feliciano for long, as he noticed the black shape of two cars crowding him, coming in from both sides.   
They had gotten him into the same trap as Feliciano. 

Lovino looked back at Feliciano to see the gun go off, and shoot a small dart in Feliciano’s back. Feliciano jolted a little, but kept on running without an issue. Lovino couldn’t help but pray that it wasn’t going to work. 

But then, they shot another dart, and another and another, all of them hitting Feliciano in the back.   
Lovino suddenly found himself speeding past Feliciano, noticing that the cars around Feliciano were slowing down as the youngest Italian struggled to keep speed. Lovino winced in pain when he felt a dart pierce his shoulder blade. Lovino looked back at Feliciano to see that the cars had stopped, and men in suits were getting out as Feliciano struggled to walk away, looking at Lovino, and longing for him to turn around… 

Ignoring the pain of being hit by another dart, Lovino dropped to the ground and scrapped his fingers along the harsh concrete of the road, scraping his fingers as he pushed himself forward, completely turning around while maintaining his top speed: a skill that Feliciano didn’t possess.   
Watching those bastards try to grab Feliciano, Lovino dashed back towards them, feeling two more darts hit him in the back as the cars following him took longer to turn around. Even the men who were surrounding Feliciano tried to shoot him. 

“LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU BASTARDS!!!!” Lovino roared, as he dashed past the men and scooped Feliciano’s arm over his shoulder, lifting his brother and helping him move forward.   
It was then that Lovino’s legs felt heavy… and it became harder for the Italian to concentrate, he struggled to keep himself moving, with the added weight of Feliciano only making the task harder.   
Feliciano finally fell, and Lovino wasn’t strong enough to hold him up.   
“FUCK OFF!!” Lovino growled, trying to punch the man who pulled Feliciano away, but Lovino’s fist only lightly grazed the man’s face. Lovino could feel their hands hold him still as he struggled to fight consciousness, he slurred words that no one could understand in an attempt to fight…   
And then as he was pushed into a car, he finally succumbed to the darkness... 

\----- 

“Words cannot explain how relieved I was when I woke up, and saw Feli on the bed across from mine…” Lovino pointed out, his head hanging down to not let anyone look at his face, trying his best to not crumble. 

“I suppose that they paid Capo enough to let us both go…” Feliciano sighed. 

“Or they just took you without asking…” Francis murmured. “It’s the same people every time, in every memory I see those people. I swear that I’ve seen the American in Arthur and Matthew’s memories too…” 

“I’m amazed on how they knew about all of us, and had the investment to afford to attempt to buy us off of the Mafia,” Feliciano explained. 

“Like fucking animals…” Lovino grumbled, “Feli… when we get out of here, we are going to find Capo, and make HIM pay…” 

"So... This shows that they have more than influence, they have the money to back it up," Francis murmured, "This may be even bigger than we expected..." 

Feliciano nodded as he used one hand to rub his older brother’s shoulder, but Feliciano looked to Francis with hopeful eyes, “who do you want us to bring next?” 

Francis thought for a moment, before deciding on someone, he may as well get the other pair of siblings out of the way, and then take a short break, “Bring Gilbert and Ludwig.”


	7. Chapter 7

It was supposed to be a normal day, just like any other day; Ludwig and Gilbert had managed to pretend to be so normal for so long that they had begun to convince themselves that they were so. They had been living in Berlin for a couple of years now, having moved away after their parents discovered their ‘abilities’ and kicked them out of the house and out of their lives. Since moving out of their parents’ home in Leipzig to Berlin, they had managed to live on the verge of comfortable and struggling because of Gilbert’s job. The only downside to Gilbert’s job was the fact that it would take nearly an hour to get there and consisted of multiple bus-rides and one train-ride to Potsdam.   
Despite this, Ludwig came with him for the ride a lot of the time; they decided that if Ludwig could find a job in Potsdam, they’d move there. However, today’s job hunting efforts for Ludwig came up with nothing worthy, however he still hoped that someday soon he’d get an offer.

Gilbert glanced over at Ludwig as a train dashed past the platform, generating the wind that brushed past his body, nearly making him lose his footing. Gilbert could tell by the look on his youngest brother’s face that he was thinking hard about something; something painful. Ludwig’s ice-blue eyes narrowed with thought, few of his loose hairs danced in the wind, Gilbert could tell that he was in a world of his own, and he wasn’t going to be dragged out of it easily. 

All Gilbert could do was watch as Ludwig’s thoughts took the lead, he knew that it would be best if he let Ludwig think by himself in peace…   
The longer Gilbert thought about it, the more closer he came to the conclusion that Ludwig was still thinking about their parents… It had been three years since the brothers last spoke to them, and the reality of the situation still hit Ludwig hard… and so that was why Gilbert had to be the strong one. He had to be the asshole who told Ludwig that they weren’t worth his sadness. He didn’t let Ludwig see him cry, or see him worry; he had to be what he hoped Ludwig would become. 

Swallowing his own anxiety, Gilbert looked forward watching the silent world around them. There was a large drop off from the platform to the train tracks. Beyond that was a wired fence that blocked anyone from outside of the train station from getting in without purchasing a ticket, just beyond this fence was another wall of unkempt and tall grass and other shrubbery. The train station was small and in a more rural area, so the station wasn’t too big, or underground, and so there was hardly any protection from the light rain that drizzled over the station. Beyond the fence was a quiet road, where once and a while a car would travel along, or people would walk on the pathway, paying no attention to the train station.   
As time passed and the next train approached, more people gathered around the platform, and slowly a crowd formed around Gilbert and Ludwig, finally bringing some noise to the world around them. Groups of friends fooled around together, an elderly couple sat on a bench near the centre of the platform, more singles stared at their phones and a mother pushing a stroller stopped near the edge of the platform far away from where Ludwig and Gilbert stood, looking through her bag for anything that her baby would require. 

Francis stood in between the brothers, observing their joint memory, hearing both of their observations. Francis was the only one who knew what both brothers were thinking at the same time. While hearing Gilbert’s concerns, Francis could hear Ludwig’s pain; he was indeed remembering his parents, and their harsh words prior to the brothers being exiled from their childhood home; all because they could do things that no one else could. Ludwig struggled to understand why they did such a thing…? He had behaved his whole life; he was polite, rarely got in trouble, did his chores and didn’t talk back: what did he do to deserve such a harsh expulsion…? It wasn’t fair… He and Gilbert didn’t commit a crime, they weren’t bad people! They were just different! It was so stupid, Ludwig could hardly comprehend it!   
They weren’t monsters… 

“I need to go to the bathroom, I’ll be back in a second,” Gilbert said, walking away from the platform, leaving Ludwig standing alone, and so Francis focussed on Ludwig, remaining within his singular memory. Francis tilted his head to watch Ludwig tense, trying his best to contain himself and become too involved in the memory.   
Francis could feel the pain radiating off of the German’s body. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, and Francis tried his best to not further invade the German’s mind and look at the traumatic memory that was currently haunting Ludwig’s thoughts. Francis could feel that Ludwig was feeling abandoned, betrayed and bitter because of what his parents did; he struggled to find the will to forgive them. He wished that he could shrug it off like Gilbert, he wished to be as strong on the inside as he was on the outside…   
Francis smiled, knowing the truth behind his brother’s strength… 

Francis couldn’t help but admit that despite their situation; the brothers have done incredibly well for themselves. They had a home of their own, they weren’t alone, they had never been caught using their powers; they were safe and it looked as though things were only going to get better from this point.   
It’s so sad that they ended up in their current position… They had so much to look forward to. 

Francis viciously thought away the temptation to push further into Ludwig’s memories, his morbid curiosity begged for him to find out what happened between the brothers and their parents. But he always stopped himself before giving into it, knowing that he had to maintain what little trust the brothers had in him. It bugged him, like an itch at the back of his brain that begged to be satisfied…   
No, Francis snapped, turning his focus back onto Ludwig, returning to the memory, he has to remained focus on his task. 

The train stations speaker announced the coming arrival of the next train, and everyone around the blonde German began to get onto their feet. Ludwig turned his head and saw the train approaching over the horizon, beginning its decent in speed as it reached the platform. 

“NO! NO! NO!!” A woman screamed, followed by the shocked gasps of the few spectators, catching Ludwig’s attention. Ludwig looked just in time to see the stroller roll to the edge of the platform, before falling off the edge, the small baby landing across the train tracks. Ludwig’s eyes widened as his entire body tensed, watching the mother jump down onto the tracks, screaming in pain as she awkwardly landed on the tracks. She took her baby into her arms and tried to stand, only to fall back onto her knees and elbows in pain, crying about her ankles.   
Ludwig looked to the train, seeing that it was still approaching, there was no way that the train will stop in time, nor is there time for anyone to jump down and help them up before being caught in the train’s path. 

Without another thought, Ludwig jumped onto the tracks. Blinded by his fear he rushed towards the train… People yelled to him, but he couldn’t hear, he became focussed on stopping the train, he couldn’t think of anything else.   
Francis felt Ludwig shudder, momentarily fuzzing Francis’ vision, before quickly returning to normal. Ludwig regretted this; his pain towards the memory was physically effecting his perception of it. Ludwig was thinking that he shouldn’t have stopped the train, he should have run for the mother and baby, and took them to safety. Francis couldn’t blame him for this self-criticism; however, his actions still saved two lives.

Ludwig however still remembers the moment when his hands collided with the cold metal of the red train, and he felt the force of the train push him against the tracks. His feet getting caught underneath the planks of wood that crossed the tracks, before the wood snapped under the pressure. He let out a cry as he pushed the train harder than he had pushed anything before, breaking his own limits, however it paid off, as he could feel the train slowing down, and they had just passed the beginning of the platform, the mother was still screaming as the train approached.

Suddenly Gilbert ran past the small crowd and jumped onto the tracks, instantly understanding what was going on. He ran to the woman and the baby, taking them into their arms as the train and Ludwig approached. He took the woman into his arms and lifted her off of the tracks as she held on tightly to her crying baby. Gilbert and the woman suddenly disappeared and formed into a cloud of black mist, before reappearing on top of the platform, where he placed her onto the ground, where she quivered in shock over what had just happened.   
Francis returned his attention back to Ludwig as the train finally rolled to a halt, stopping a couple of metres short of where the woman and her baby would have been if Gilbert hadn’t picked them up. Gilbert jumped down on the tracks again as Ludwig stumbled away from the train, seeing the large dint that his hands had made in the metal nose of the train. Ludwig breathed heavily, processing what he just did, he felt Gilbert hold onto his shoulders and try to help move him back from the train. 

Gilbert looked to the platform, to see everyone staring at them, some even with their phones out, no doubt filming the entire thing.   
“FUCK!” Gilbert hissed, grabbing onto Ludwig before teleporting them to the platform, “We need to get out of here!” Gilbert pushed himself and Ludwig past the crowd, running away from the scene they had created.   
They ended up taking the bus back to Berlin, which added another hour to their journey home. 

“I… I can’t believe I just DID THAT!” Ludwig snapped; slamming the door to their apartment closed. “I just exposed us to everyone!” 

“It’s not your fault, you saved them!” Gilbert explained placing his house keys on the kitchen table, “don’t regret it!” 

“But… I should have just picked her up! I shouldn’t have gone for the fucking train!!” Ludwig explained, “I just exposed us! I could have saved her without exposing us! I’m an IDIOT!!” 

“Stop talking like that! What happened back there was an accident, now; this will just die down and nothing will happen because of it. We are FINE!” Gilbert snapped, trying his best to remain calm for Ludwig’s sake. However, seeing the pained look on Ludwig’s face told Gilbert that more needed to be said. “You did the right thing back there. If you took too long getting them off of the tracks, you all would have been hit. You were right in slowing down the train.” 

“But…” Ludwig stuttered, sighing as he walked away, still not convinced that this entire fiasco wasn’t his fault. 

Ludwig fell onto the couch, crossing his arms over his chest as Gilbert took the remote and turned on the TV.   
Gilbert knew that there was nothing he could say to fix Ludwig’s feelings; he watched the back of his little brothers head as he opened the fridge, determined to grab two bottles of beer. 

Despite everything, Gilbert couldn’t help but worry, how many people got them on film, and what were they going to do with that footage. There was no doubt that some of it was going to end up online… What were they going to do if they gained notoriety? They had never exposed their powers to anyone but their parents before, and so they had no idea what to do… Ludwig was caught stopping a train and Gilbert was caught teleporting, there was no way that footage of that had the potential of ruining their lives…   
However, what Ludwig did was brave, and Gilbert wasn’t going to allow Ludwig to feel any guilt over it. 

Gilbert leaned over the couch, looking at Ludwig as he handed him a beer bottle, “I’m proud of you.” 

\---- 

The next week went by without any issues; Gilbert started travelling to work alone, just in case if someone recognised them. Ludwig would look through YouTube or local news outlets daily to check for any suspicious uploads, the paranoia was driving the young man crazy. 

Until eight days after the incident, Ludwig checked the local online newspapers. Ludwig felt his heart beat so hard, it began to hurt his chest as he his mouth suddenly dried. The news article was titled ‘Superheros caught on video at Potsdam Station.’ 

“No…” Ludwig gasped as he clicked on the article. Too stressed the read whatever the journalist had to say, he scrolled down the page, looking for any photos of video, he had to know how clear their faces were in the footage.   
Finally, he saw the photos, none of them were of amazing quality, however, one bastard just had to have an iPhone, and capture a perfect photo of Ludwig with his body pressed against the train…   
“FUCK!!” Ludwig snapped, seeing that underneath it was another high-quality photo of Gilbert, carrying the mother and her baby in his arms on the platform, which would have been right after he teleported them off of the train tracks. What if this ends up on TV and the rest of the country sees them.   
And then there was the video… They caught Ludwig running to the train and colliding with it, his hands instantly creating two deep dints in the trains red metal. He could hear people talking around them, panic began to set in, people were trying to reach down to help the mother, but no one was brave enough to jump down onto the track, there were people saying that the woman had broken her ankle in the fall, and couldn’t stand. She was helpless until Gilbert dashed past the cameraman and jumped down onto the tracks; Gilbert was quick in picking the woman up.   
“FUCK!! FUCK!! FUCK!!” Ludwig roared, stopping around the small apartment, leaving the laptop with the news report on the kitchen table. Ludwig cursed loudly as panic began to settle into his mind. 

Francis could hear every single one of Ludwig’s worries, he imagined nightmare scenarios where they were hunted down, kicked out and abused all over again! He imagined society rejecting him and his brother like their parents had, who knows; they could get kicked out of Germany this time! 

Ludwig could only imagine the worst outcome, and his anxiety got the best of him, Ludwig pressed his back against the wall, imaging their neighbours hunting them down like werewolves… No one would want to be around them, let alone hire them! Ludwig’s head fell into his hands as he began to tremble, trying to hold himself back from using his strength to destroy the whole apartment.   
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Ludwig was pulled out of his state as Gilbert walked in, placing his bag down on the table. 

“Hey…” Gilbert began as his voice and face changed when he noticed Ludwig, and started to wonder what had pushed his brother to this state. “What happened?” 

“Look at the laptop,” Ludwig grumbled as he pushed himself off of the wall, and made his way to his bedroom, “I’ll be in my room.” 

“Shit…” Gilbert hissed as he read through the article, learning that multiple witnesses caught footage on their phones of these ‘mystery heroes’ in action.   
‘Frau Bach’s pram had slid off of the platform and landed on the tracks as the train approached the platform. Like any mother would, she put saving her child above her own safety and she joined her seven month old daughter, Monika, however she broke her ankle and sprained her wrist in the process. As the train approached all hope seemed lost until two heroes sprang into action.’   
Gilbert continued to read the article, with Francis hovering by his side, reading it along with him. Gilbert was happy to know that he and Ludwig were being presented in a positive light, and that the mother and her baby were safe following the incident. However, he couldn’t help but notice the journalist leaving out such important details, such as Gilbert’s teleportation and Ludwig’s strength, the journalist was talking about the brothers as though they were simple, everyday heroes. 

This is better than what Gilbert was expecting. However, he couldn’t deny that there was no doubt that other news reports would present the brothers in such a favourable light.   
Suddenly, the door knocked again surprising Gilbert, until he realised that it’s probably the owner of the apartment collecting the rent, since no one else ever came to visit them. Gilbert sighed, “Give me a second! I’m grabbing it!” 

Snatching his wallet along the way to the front door, Gilbert sighed as he checked how much cash he had on him as he opened the door, expecting to see the owner of the apartment, however…   
Francis gasped as he recognised the men who stood on the other side of the door, starting down at Gilbert.   
Francis stepped to move closer, watching as Gilbert froze, as the same American man in every memory he has seen so far smiled down at Gilbert. “We are correct, it’s him.” 

“HEY!” Gilbert snapped, as one the group of men rushed in, one immediately grabbing Gilbert, holding him still as the other tried to put a plastic gas mask on him. “NO! LUDWIG!! LUDWIG!!”   
Gilbert teleported before the mask could be fastened to his head, escaping their grasp, “LUDWIG!!” he cried as he reappeared by the couch, not knowing what to do other than he give Ludwig a chance of escaping. However, before he could teleport again, Francis watched the American ring-leader place a black handgun to the back of Gilberts head, not needing to speak in order to make the threat… 

“That’s all the proof we need.” He said as Ludwig ran out of his bedroom, freezing at the sight of a group of up to six men in his small apartment, one holding a gun to his brother’s head. Ludwig’s eyes widened as he stared at Gilbert, unsure of what to do. 

“Let go of him!!” Ludwig snapped, right before three men tried to grab him, only to Ludwig to push one away, sending him flying across the living area, colliding with the opposite wall, but before he could do anything else, the man pressed the gun harder against Gilbert’s head, making sure that he had Ludwig’s full attention. Ludwig was watching, his eyes focussed on his brothers, internally begging for nothing bad to happen to him. 

“Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. If neither of you move, everything is going to be easy…” The American explained. 

Ludwig decided that it was best to comply, and not cause any more trouble for them. He placed his hands behind his back and closed his eyes, feeling the men hold him still as they placed a plastic mask over his nose and mouth, forcing him to breathe in a sweet-smelling gas, which quickly made him dizzy.   
With the gun still against his head, Gilbert was restrained in hand cuffs as the mask was finally placed over his nose and mouth, and within minutes, Gilbert was unconscious too.   
Francis blinked as he pulled himself out of the memory, to see himself sitting before the German brothers, both who had guilty and sad looks on their faces. 

“Did we help?” Ludwig asked, his soft blue eyes looking at Francis, desperate to know whether he had offered some new information. 

“You did, I am starting to understand the extent of their knowledge; they were able to find you within a couple of days,” Francis explained, frowning as he leant forward, “and… that man… he’s always there… in every memory I’ve seen so far, he’s always there leading it. He’s the one we want to talk to.” 

Francis looked at Ludwig, still feeling the aura of guilt that radiated off of the youngest German, he feels as though this was his fault… “You were very brave back there, you did the right things.”   
Ludwig looked away as Gilbert patted him on the shoulder, mouthing a little ‘thank you’ to the Frenchman. 

“I hope we were of use to you, who do you want us to grab next?” Gilbert asked. 

“No one yet,” Francis sighed as he rubbed his forehead, he knew that if he kept doing this, it was going to get harder for him to control himself and keep himself from reaching further into the others minds and break their boundaries, “I need a little break…”


	8. Chapter 8

Francis’ head ached as he shuffled down the hallway, his headache roaring down his back with every movement he made. His head had never been so overworked before, usually he refrains from looking into people’s memories; he never thought that there would be a day where this ability could help.   
However, he couldn’t ignore that annoying itch at the back of his head… an urge for him to delve deeper, to explore the deepest memories and the long lost thoughts of the people around him. Some days he can manage it, however, he has spent days unable to think clearly because the urge has been so strong… 

He watched the back of Gilberts head with intense eyes, feeling the urge creep behind him like a shadowy figure, telling him to ‘do it,’ telling him to give in and dissect the Germans mind like a mad scientist. Francis sucked in a sudden breath as his vision started to tremble, feeling himself slowly slipping away, all while the Germans thoughts remained blissfully unaware of the looming Frenchman behind him. 

As the trio re-entered the living area, Francis became overwhelmed with even more thoughts, he knew that he had to control himself now. Perhaps if his mind became preoccupied with something else, he could ignore the urge easier: he chuckled, knowing that was exactly what Alfred would do, perhaps he’s already learned something from the American.   
Francis smiled when he saw Ivan standing behind the couch that Alfred and Arthur sat on, flicking through the television, talking about how there’s no news or anything: only a selection of movies and shows. 

Feliciano and Lovino were with Kiku in the kitchen, looking through the pantries, and cupboards, pondering over what the group could eat. 

Yao sat at the dinner table with Matthew, casually talking. 

The situation had drastically changed since Francis first began looking through memories, the mood of the room was oddly calm, like the group had already become used to the fact that there was something sinister going on—or they were all just pushing it away. 

“Francis,” Matthew murmured, noticing the Frenchman and the German brothers. Matthew frowned, and Francis knew that he noticed that something looked off about. Francis could tell that he looked exhausted; he already had bags under his eyes and looked as though he was living off of strong coffee. These memories were exhausting him. “Are you ok?”   
It was then that everyone turned their heads to look at Francis, as though expecting some kind of report from them. 

“He just needs a break,” Ludwig pointed out as he and Gilbert leaned against the kitchen bench, gravitating towards the Italians and Kiku, telling Francis immediately that they seemed to get along well. 

“He’s right, this is exhausting…” Francis pointed out. 

“We’re going to make dinner!” Feliciano chirped, “We’re still debating what to make though…” 

“What’s really weird is that they have a pretty good movie selection here, it’s almost like they want us to enjoy ourselves,” Alfred pointed out, peering over the couch to look at Francis. “Dude, you look dead, maybe you should sleep after this.” 

“Can you tell us what you’ve found out first, has anything helped?” Yao asked. 

“I noticed the same man, one man has reappeared in every memory so far, it’s like he’s the coordinator. What I’ve seen is that this ‘organisation’ is notified about us by either an enemy,” Francis glanced at Matthew, who was already staring at him with an intense glare behind his oval glasses, before he glanced at Arthur, “an institution,” And finally, he looked to Ludwig and Gilbert, “or exposure. And then they come and see proof of our abilities and when they believe that our abilities are legitimate, they just … take us…” 

“So that’s how they find us, that makes sense,” Lovino murmured as he crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. “Is there anything you’ve noticed about why we’re here? Or what they’re going to do to us?” 

Francis sighed as he shook his head, “I… I don’t know… I’m sorry. It appears that they have fabricated stories in order to obtain us, they have said that they want to help us, and at other times they suggest that they wish to use us.” 

“Well, none of us know anything, so it’s not his fault at all,” Gilbert explained.   
Francis glanced over at Ivan, seeing the young Russian cross his arms over his chest and glare at the floor, unsure of what he could contribute to the conversation. Francis could feel his anxiety from where he stood, however, he was proud of him for coming out of his room in the first place; he was so used to being alone: Ivan had come to believe that was all he could do to protect himself. 

“Hm, why could we be here though? This could be some freaky experiment or something!” Alfred pointed out. 

“As I said, I think it’s a study,” Kiku pointed out. 

“That’s pretty sadistic, innit?” Arthur asked, “Watching us, seeing how we interact like a bunch of animals, I bet they’re all standing behind a screen wearing lab coats with clipboards… Fucking...” Arthur grumbled the end of his sentence as he melted into the black leather couch, holding himself closely, even lifting his feet onto the couch to curl into a small ball.   
Alfred murmured something to the Brit as he tapped on his shoulder to show support. 

“It’d be pretty boring, we’re getting along just fine,” Matthew added. “This is hardly anything to watch.” 

“But how long will it be until they poke us? I don’t like this at all, I think something is going to happen,” Ludwig murmured. “We’re sitting ducks here.” 

“Maybe…” Feliciano pointed out, hesitating slightly before continuing, worried in case if there really were people watching them, and listening to every word they said, “We can try to break out…” 

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Arthur chuckled, looking at the Italian as though he was amusing. 

“Maybe if we break enough of their shit they’ll act first,” Gilbert chuckled. 

“How about we just wait?” Ivan pointed out, “I don’t like the idea of making these people angry…” 

“I agree, they chased me down like hunters when I ran from them, they don’t play around. So maybe we shouldn’t fuck with them right now,” Alfred agreed, crossing his arms over his chest, resting his head on the back of the couch, tilting his head slightly so he could look at the group. “I hate to know what else they can do when we make them angry.” 

“But if we wait…” Kiku shuddered, stopping himself before he could finish his terrible prediction, “I don’t like the idea of us just waiting around for them to act, what if they have something planned?” 

Yao sighed, “Perhaps that’s a risk that we have to take. It is not wise to make enemies of these people.” 

“They’re already our enemies,” Arthur spat, before looking to Francis, “Is it worth taking a look at whoever is left?” 

“Yes, in case if I see something, one of us has got to offer something that can help us,” Francis explained, “and I’ve only got, Kiku, Yao, Ivan and Alfred left to do, so I may as well finish. But it has to be after I sleep, I can’t keep going right now.” Francis could hear that everyone was worried about him, Francis looked so drained and tired; he looked as though he was about to collapse onto the floor, and Francis felt as though he was going to.   
All of these thoughts were making Francis’ head feel heavy; he could hear everyone’s thoughts and the temptation to pry into their deepest memories became more and more tempting. Ivan was standing closest to him, and he’d hate to make the young man a victim of his inability to control himself.   
He needed to get out of here, right now.   
“I should rest,” Francis murmured, he glanced over to Arthur, “I’m sorry, Arthur, but I need to be alone for a couple of hours. Stay away from our room for a while.” He stood still to watch Arthur nod in response, before turning away and shuffling down the hall, wanting to make his way back into his bed. 

\--------- 

Francis laid down on the bed and sighed, staring at the roof in the darkness, he had to sleep in order to regain some strength, he hadn’t even bothered changing out of his clothes; he hadn’t even looked through the drawers on his side of the room, as he could only assumed that it held his belongings.   
Perhaps while he sleeps he can look through his own memories while he dreams, because while he reads the memories of others, he completely forgot that he has memories of his own that could offer some assistance. 

He pulled himself into a mental state of complete relaxation and within minutes he had lulled himself into a deep sleep. However, his mind was still active; he searched through his memories to look for the last one he had before he woke up in this exact room. 

He was walking down the bustling streets of Paris, within the hour he could hear thousands of thoughts from people all over the world. Even though he could only understand the thoughts of those who spoke French or English, he still found it fascinating although, after a long day, it would become tiring. 

He would walk for twenty minutes every morning to Marché Bastille from his small studio apartment in Roquette, Paris. He walked silently along the street, dressed in a tanned coat, burgundy scarf and dark jeans; he kept his head down and tried his best to ignore the thoughts of the countless people who passed him as he made his way down the tight street. Tourists from all over the world marvelled at the beauty of Paris, and Francis couldn’t help but smile when he heard the thoughts of those who were mesmerised by his home.   
But then he wondered whether he’d be able to make some money off of them… It was shameful for him to think of; but he likened himself to a con-man – but an honest one.   
He could promise to read people’s minds and speak to their subconscious for a small fee, he could make people feel mesmerised and leave them questioning what they really knew about themselves. He targeted English speaking tourists, sometimes families or students, he could handle anybody; even sceptics. 

He had an agreement with multiple stall and shop owners whom frequented the Marché Bastille, they would recommend that people speak to him and have their minds read, and then they would point them to the bridge where he stood, waiting. As soon as the target came into Francis’ radius, Francis would know that they are aware of him, and he would swoop in and trap them in a conversation, where he would reveal his powers and his ‘attraction’ to them (This line worked best with single women). He would speak to them about their home, and make a show about looking through their memories, and reveal details about their life that there was no way a handsome stranger in Paris would know anything about. In their shock, he would offer them a private session, where he can speak to their sub-conscious and reveal their deepest thoughts, offering them ‘mental clarity’ and ‘a conversation with their inner-self.’ 

And within minutes, the person was putty in Francis’ hands, they would pay the fee for the session and Francis would find a place to sit with them, he would spend as long as they wanted with him, making sure that they were aware of the fee of £50 an hour. He chuckles when he hears his targets think ‘I won’t be that long’, because he knows that they will be much, much longer than that…   
The first victim of today was a young woman from England; Francis took her to the bridge that crossed over Bassin de l’Arsenal, he leaned on the white railing of the bridge, listening to the calming water that ran under the bridge, trying his best to block out the noise of the traffic coming from the Boulevard Bourdon. He smiled at the young woman, trying his best to null her anxiety; she had never spoken to a stranger like this before.

“You don’t need to be afraid, I don’t bite,” Francis pointed out, taking her by surprise. 

“O-Oh, can you really read my mind?” She asked, blushing terribly.   
She was sceptical, although her face was shy, her mind was running wild: trying her best to understand how Francis was picking up on her actions and building a story in order to trick her. 

“I can, and I know that it’s going to take a lot for you to believe me,” Francis noted, “would you rather that I speak to your mind and you not speak?” 

She frowned, intrigued by Francis’ challenge, “Alright, I won’t reply to you at all.” 

“You’ll be surprised, Alice,” Francis chuckled. 

“I never told you my name,” She gasped. 

“I thought I was going to do the speaking, dear,” Francis winked, “let’s see…” Francis squinted as he leaned into her, pretending to physically look through her brain, “My oh my, Mon Canard… You have a lot of worries in there… there are a lot of dark clouds: anxieties and fears that you spend so much energy stressing over… and you are so young… You don’t need to worry about what you’re going to do for the rest of your life when you have so much of it to still have.”   
He watched her eyes widen with shock, as he pale thin lips trembled: he had her. “You have so much of your life ahead of you, but are so afraid of living because of your fear of making the wrong decision. You come to France alone in a bid to prove to yourself that you can do something by yourself, you want to prove your parents wrong: you will make a life for yourself and live independently, but you are so scared of regretting it.”   
Francis gave her a supportive smile, “But I see so much more in you, and you know it is there, you just need to unlock it. You know that you are capable of becoming successful and powerful, an icon for others to look up to. You just need the right time to prove it.” 

“Where does my anxiety come from?” She asked.   
She’s trapped in Francis’ web, and before she knows it, she will be talking to the Frenchman for two hours. By the end of the session, she was too convinced of Francis’ abilities and the advice that he gave her: she happily handed him £100.   
It amazed Francis how he was able to convince people to hand him so much money… He noticed that there was very little mental struggle as he reminded to girl of her fees, however he chose to not question it. 

In that day, Francis attracts four more people, and earned £400 by the time he was too tired to continue. By 6 o’clock at night, Francis was exhausted and satisfied with his day’s work. The Marché had closed hours before hand, and now Francis decided that it would be best if he went back to his apartment to rest: before beginning his night work: where he would target the drunk and vulnerable, with a much higher fee. 

However, as he walked the street back to his apartment, he couldn’t help but feel that something was off… He couldn’t figure out why, but his sixth sense was screaming for him to run, he felt like there were eyes on him.   
And then he noticed the thoughts of someone who had been in his radius ever since he left the Marché. It was irritating him and made him worried as he had made multiple turns… Francis sped up, walking in a more hurried pace, trying his best to pretend as though everything was fine. But the thoughts remained in his radius, and it was in a language that he didn’t understand, so it was harder for Francis to determine whether they were a threat. 

Finally, Francis broke into a run, but the thoughts remained, he looked behind him to see a man running after him, chasing him.   
“Merde!” Francis hissed as he sped up, determined to lose his pursuer, not wanting to know what the man had in mind. In a panic, he sped down the street, no longer caring if he looked as scared as he felt. Why is this person following him?! Did he do something wrong?! 

Losing his focus for just a moment was his downfall, he ran right into another man who was blocking the way, this man was dressed in a dark suit, and thought in the same language as his chase. Francis hissed as he tried to fight the man’s grip, as he was pulled into a closed shop, where the blinds were drawn down.   
Before he could scream, Francis was pushed into the shop, nearly falling over a table, finding himself surrounded by more men in dark suits. 

“LET ME OUT!!” Francis growled in English, hoping that his attackers at least knew how to speak this language, he tried to push himself past the man who threw him in, reaching for the door. “LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW!!”   
Francis began to panic, he couldn’t fight back, his powers were mental and offered him no safety against a threat like this, and then he thought: this was probably a robbery. Disgruntled, Francis threw his days earnings on the ground, thinking that he could buy his freedom. “I’ll give you all I have, just let me leave!”   
Despite his bargaining, they did not respond… Francis breathed heavily as they stared at him, as though expecting him to do something…   
“What do you want with me…?” 

And then Francis froze when he heard a voice come from somewhere else in the shop, an American accent that remained just outside of Francis’ radius, like they knew about his abilities, and only let those who thought in another language near him.   
“The testimonies are enough, grab him.” 

“WHAT?!” Francis snapped, turning around to look to where the voice came from, to see a man standing at the far corner of the room.   
Francis needed to read his mind and look through his memories: NOW!! 

But before Francis could move closer, he was grabbed from behind, and a gas mask forced over his face. Despite this, Francis tried to fight, struggling against the grip of his attackers; he needed to know what was going on and what was going to happen to him. He panicked and screamed, not realising that it was only making the gas have a faster effect on him.   
He took this as an opportunity to look at the man who had spoken, with the knowledge he knew as he watched his memories, it was the American: the man behind all of this madness. Francis understood now that it wasn’t a robbery: it was a set up in order to swiftly capture the Frenchman before he could figure anything out.

Quickly he became disorientated and the voices in his head became distant and hard to differ between each person. He felt as though his soul was leaving his body as the gas took effect. No matter how much Francis panicked, he couldn’t fight the power of the gas, and he lost control of his legs and fell to the floor. 

Francis’ eyes snapped open as he took in a deep breath, before squinting at the bright light of the bedroom.   
“Bloody shit, where is it?!” He heard a voice hiss, coming from the opposite side of the bedroom. Francis frowned as he slowly awoke from his deep sleep. He could hear muffled thoughts accompany his own, so he knew that he wasn’t alone in the bedroom.   
He tilted his head to see Arthur on his knees before the set of white drawers that sat near the Englishman’s bed, with a pile of dark coloured clothes scattered around him.   
“No, no, no, no, no!!”   
Arthur had nearly emptied the entire set of drawers, like he was desperately searching for something. 

“Arthur?” Francis murmured, still recovering from his sudden awakening. 

“Huh?” Arthur grumbled, turning his head to look at Francis, only to gasp when he realised that he had woken the Frenchman, “I’m sorry, I was just going to be quick, I want to sleep, so I need my jacket.” Desperation had torn away Arthur’s cold exterior, his green eyes were wide with worry and his skin had paled from the anxiety, he was holding a black shirt tightly in his hand. He was worried that his jacket hadn’t been given to him.   
As Arthur’s thoughts became clearer, Francis realised what Arthur was talking about, and the look in the Englishman’s eyes broke his heart.   
Arthur was talking about the jacket that was once used to restrain him, and to make him a prisoner. But he needed it because he feared that once he slept: he would set things on fire, Arthur had grown depend on the thing that was used to restrain him, as it offered some kind of security.   
“Just… I’m going to find it and then I’ll sleep somewhere else if you still need to be alone,” Arthur explained, still pulling clothes out of the drawers as Francis sat up on his bed. “Assholes, they give me a whole wardrobe of things, but won’t leave the one thing I actually fucking use!” 

“Ok, let me help you then,” Francis pointed out as he rose from the bed, still yawning as he walked towards the bedside table that sat beside Arthur’s bed, “what colour is it?” 

“White and it has scorches on the sleeves and collar,” Arthur explained. “This is actually scaring me, they have given me clothes that I would actually wear, and it’s all my size. Alfred even explained that all of his clothes were in his drawers.” 

“So, they’ve given us our stuff and provided things for those who had nothing,” Francis pointed out, as he slid open the small drawer, hoping to find Arthur’s straight-jacket folded within it, but he was disappointed to only find a blank notebook, and a pen. 

“You know, I had my rest, you don’t have to leave if you want to go to sleep. I’m going to go back to bed after this anyway.” 

“Oh… Then I should let Alfred know, he offered me his bed…” Arthur sighed, as he opened the last of the four drawers, silently praying that his jacket was in there, however, he only sighed to see a selection of pants and black jeans neatly folded. Arthur’s body tensed as terrible thoughts ran through his head, and even stopped Francis in his tracks. Arthur was terrified of falling asleep and destroying everything or worse, hurting somebody… 

However, Francis froze when in the corner of his eye, Francis spotted something pocking out from underneath Arthur’s pillow, pulling on the dirty white fabric, Francis pulled out the thick fabric jacket from underneath Arthur’s pillow. 

Finally holding the jacket in his hands, Francis understood why Arthur relied on it to put out his flames; it was thick and heavy, with black scorch marks around the cuffs and the collar. The back of the jacket was lined with many buckles, which matched those that lined the sleeves, making it easy to understand how Arthur’s flames were so easily stopped when he wore it, it did offer the Englishman some form of comfort when he slept, like a guarantee that he wasn’t going to set fires in his sleep. 

“Oh… So they know that I use it to sleep…” Arthur grumbled, taking the jacket from Francis’ arms, “Thank you for finding it…”

“It’s ok, you look tired, you should sleep,” Francis pointed out as he walked back to his own bed. 

“R-right, Arthur murmured, “I’ll just go and let Alfred know to not worry about the bed then… Almost everyone has gone to bed now.”

“Tell those who are still up that I said goodnight too.” 

“Will do.”


	9. Chapter 9

Yao had been waking up early every morning for as long as he could remember and so he was not surprised to see that the was the only one who awoke first after everyone had turned in for the night. 

The feeling of having nothing to do unsettled Yao greatly, he was so used to waking up in the morning and performing intense stretches before beginning a long day of rehearsals and training. He found himself practicing in his mind as he leant against the wide kitchen bench with a glass of water in his hand.  
He didn’t know what to do with himself; perhaps this is what life out of the circus would have been like for Yao anyway. 

After hearing Francis speak about an American man who has appeared in every memory so far, Yao couldn’t help but feel a sinking pit in his stomach. He knew the man. Yao debated finding Francis and showing him this memory, just in case if there was something he missed.  
It was then that he decided, as soon as he sees the Frenchman, he will volunteer to go right away. His memory could be vital, because not only did he see the man that Francis speaks of: He spoke to him. Yao was not taken by force like how it seems that the others have been, he went willingly. 

Of course he regretted his choice now, if he had known that he was going to be trapped, he would have never agreed to come! He felt lied to and cheated!  
He tightened his grip on the glass of water, tempted to throw it away in a rage, before breaking everything in sight… Although… He doubted that anyone would appreciate it, or that it would fix his situation at all… 

Yao’s head lifted to face the door when he heard it open, wondering whether his chance to speak to Francis was coming sooner than expected.  
However, it was Ivan who walked into the area, wearing black pants and a black shirt, with a grey jacket to cover his arms, “Oh,” The Russian murmured, seeing that Yao was already looking at him from the kitchen bench. He yawned loudly before sheepishly lumbering towards Yao, his hands connected in the centre of his body, “Do you have any idea what time it is?” 

“No,” Yao replied, “It feels like early morning to me. But when you think about it, we’re all from different time zones, I doubt many of the others will be awake for a while.”  
As Ivan lifted his hands to rest them on the table, he couldn’t help but notice the black leather gloves that Ivan wore, it was relatively warm in here, why does the Russian cover up so much?  
“Why are you wearing gloves?” 

Ivan’s eyes lifted to look at Yao, showing no clear emotion to the Asian, which concerned him a little bit, he couldn’t help but feel like he had crossed some kind of line.  
“My hands are ugly,” Ivan sighed, before calmly smiling at Yao, “and they make everything cold, so it is better for me to keep them covered.” 

Yao frowned, “but why are they ugly?” 

“Fucking shit!” An angry voice hissed as Alfred entered the area, wearing a blue t-shirt with a red pocket over his heart, and dark blue jeans. Alfred walked in like he was on a rampage, Yao was worried that he was going to break something with his fists. “I’m sorry, I’m just really stressed out right now!” 

“We understand why,” Yao agreed. 

“I just… urrh! I’m gonna lose my fucking job because of this then I’m gonna lose my apartment and I’m gonna fucking die! There’s no way in hell social services will believe this bullshit, I’m fucked! I can’t believe this!” Alfred growled, running his fingers through his dirty blonde hair.  
“FUCK!”  
As Alfred swore, all of the chairs around the dining table fell backwards, making everyone jump with fright, even Alfred jumped in response to the loud noise before growling in anger over what he did. The approachable and bubbly personality that the American showed yesterday was definitely gone.  
“FUCK!!” 

“Alfred, calm, we are going to find a way out of here,” Ivan explained. 

Alfred sighed, shuffling his feet like a child as his head hung low, “But it’s what we’re going to do after that’s making me stress out. There aren’t any distractions here; I’m scared I’ll destroy this place without even meaning to. I couldn’t sleep at all because I was trying so hard to not flip out.” 

Yao sighed, to him is seemed like the poor young man can barely control his powers, his mind must be full of chaos at a time like this. He watched Alfred’s shoulders jolt slightly as he shook his head, sleep deprived and stressed. 

“Try talking to us, what is your job?” Ivan asked, taking Yao by surprise, yesterday Ivan barely spoke out loud, and now he is asking questions to try to calm Alfred down. Was he pushing himself or was he just quiet around large groups? 

“I… I have two jobs, actually,” Alfred began, lifting one of the chairs off of the white floor before sitting in it, facing Ivan and Yao. “I work at Walmart as a cashier during the day and Johnny Rockets as a waiter during the night.” 

“Oh, so you work constantly?” Yao asked. 

“I have no choice, I’ve got food to buy and rent to pay, I’ve been through so many jobs, I can’t fuck this up,” Alfred explained. Ivan nodded, encouraging Alfred to continue, “I’ve already lost so many jobs because of my powers, I’m lucky I have these jobs at all, considering how many accidents I’ve had…” 

Yao’s eyes widened when Francis finally entered the area, wearing a white blouse and black pants, he smiled when he saw the others in the kitchen area, obviously instantly hearing their thoughts. Yao opened his mouth to speak and propose his idea to Francis, however, Alfred spoke first. 

“Hey, dude, do you think you can help me out with something?” Alfred asked, “Do you know if you can look for memories that someone can’t remember?” 

Francis frowned, tilting his head as he stared into Alfred’s eyes, obviously looking for a clearer indication of what Alfred was looking for. “Repressed memories? I’ve never encountered someone who has had those before…” 

“If I go last, we can spend as much time needed on it, there’s something I really want to find out,” Alfred explained, smiling wider than a child. 

“Oh, I was wondering who else was awake,” Arthur admitted as he entered the living room. Instantly Yao noticed the jacket he wore, it was thick and dirty, with black scorch marks lining the collar and cuffs of the sleeves, the jacket had straps and buckles lining the sleeves of the jacket, and obviously could connect his arms to his hips: instantly Yao realised what kind of jacket Arthur was wearing. His hair was messy and he had bags under his eyes: he looked as though he had a worse night than Alfred. His slender legs stuck out from underneath the oversized jacket like two sticks in black jeans. Instantly, the Englishman grabbed Alfred’s attention. 

“Dude, is that a straight-jacket?!” Alfred asked. 

Arthur’s eyes widened at the realisation before looking down at the jacket that he was wearing.  
“Excuse me for a moment…” Arthur murmured as he turned his back and marched out of the area. 

“Wait a minute, Arthur!” Alfred snapped, bolting out of his chair to follow Arthur. 

As soon as the American was out of ear-shot, Francis chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest, “He just wants to look after his new friend…” Francis smiled as he glanced at Ivan, “I’m happy to see that you’re trying to do the same.”  
So, that’s why Ivan has suddenly become talkative. 

“Francis, I’d like to go next for you to look through my memories,” Yao proposed, staring at Francis as he thought about his memories, presenting to the Frenchman what he had to offer. Francis nodded as a sweet smile crossed his thin lips. 

“Of course, just let me eat first and then we can get started,” Francis explained. 

\---- 

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE ACT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: A FAVOURITE OF THE NANJING THEATRE AND CIRCUS COMPANY: THE PHEONIX!!!” 

The lights turned on, beaming down onto the young man who stood in the centre of the arena with his head down. Yao wore a dark blue leotard, with splashes of vibrant blue striking up his middle, his hair was tied back into a tight pony tail and his eyes were painted black. Slow but deep drums began to beat, Yao taking a step forward and titling his head in time with the beat, preparing the first trick of his solo performance.  
With the beat suddenly jumping intensely, Yao jumped forward and performed a simple, one handed cartwheel. 

Yao could feel the audience watching him as the spotlight followed, Yao knew that more people were attending the show today than usual, so he knew that he had to keep trying his best in order to keep the crowd interested and returning to the shows. He was told that a group of westerners are attending today, his coach told him to use his gift as much as possible and to show them that there are no such things as pyrotechnics at the Nanjing theatre and circus company.  
Yao’s show instantly burst into action, and his arms and eyes lit up with a blue instance light. Gasps echoed through the audience as Yao broke into a run, running across the arena. He waited before getting too close to the wire fence that separated Yao from the bleachers where the audience watched from, knowing that later it was going to be an important part of his show. 

He lit the entire area with light as he shot lighting from his arms, making sure to hit the metal rods at the top of the wired fence. The electric buzz echoed through the entire arena as the audience gasped and clapped, amazed by the sight of all of the light coming from Yao’s arms like bolts of lightning. 

Even Francis was impressed, understanding that out of the entire group, Yao was the one who had the most experience and control over his powers.  
Francis watched from just past the wire fence with his arms crossed over his chest. He watched as Yao performed more flips and cartwheels, showing off all of his strength and flexibility while his eyes and arms glowed with the power he generated from within. 

Yao easily had the entire audience captivated, it was the kind of attention that would usually make him nervous, however, he refused to let his nerves show. He had been doing this for years, a routine like this shouldn’t make him anxious – but something felt different. 

Francis looked back at the audience as Yao performed another trick, there weren’t many people in the audience, however, a few in particular stood out to him. Amongst the local Chinese spectators, a few stood out more than the others, Western men in suits sat in a group of four in the audience, all of them watching Yao, not in amazement, but analysis.  
Yao took no care to this and continued his routine, climbing the wired fence that separated him from the audience, his hands making the metal spark with every touch. 

At this point of the performance, all lights shut off and the noise lowered, drawing all of the attention to Yao. Where it was noticeable that his arms were covered in glowing blue veins, and his eyes and mouth glowed with the same intense blue, as if something powerful was glowing within him. He looked amazing, and terrifying at the same time. 

Francis couldn’t help but clap when Yao’s act finally finished, and Yao was allowed to return backstage, the entire show was over for the day and now Yao could finally relax a little bit. Francis followed Yao backstage, watching as he immediately took a drink from his water bottle, still sweating profusely from his performance. 

Yao had been living with the Circus Company for nine years, joining them after his family forced him out of the house following the discovery of his powers. He was desperate enough to run away and join the circus. But, it wasn’t like the circus was desperate, ever since he arrived audience numbers have raised. But despite this, he still disliked it; he disliked the idea of being like a show-dog, performing tricks and exploiting himself for the entertainment of others: when he first began, it made him feel sick. He felt like a joke a lot of the time, however, he did what he had to in order to keep his place, to keep his home. 

“Yao…” A deep voice said, Yao turned around to see that it was his coach, “hurry and get out of costume, I have some people who wish to speak to you.” 

“What for?” Yao asked, knowing that he was never usually allowed to speak to people outside of a performance, let alone anyone outside of the circus.  
Yao frowned when his coach shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and looked to the floor, instantly Yao’s heart sank, had he done something wrong?  
“What? Did I do something?” 

His coach just sighed again; obviously he was not going to give Yao the answer that he hoped for. Francis frowned as he observed the situation and he could only theorise that the coach’s body language could only mean guilt. He knew that these people want to take Yao, and he was going to let them. Lord knows how much he has been paid to give up his star performer. “Just get out of your costume and meet us outside the theatre.”  
Yao’s eyes widened as his coach rushed away, not willing to hear what Yao had to say about it.  
With his hands shaking, Yao washed the makeup off of his face; he could feel everyone staring at him as he walked by. He suddenly felt as though he was unwelcome, the people’s stares that once were loving became analytical. It was like everyone knew something that he didn’t. 

Yao quietly became angry, was he being kicked out?! Why!? Those people out there have only come to see HIM! This circus relies on him, why would they want to hurt him!?  
Yao began to panic, his hand tightening into fists as he felt his power run through his veins in a panic. He had no idea of what he was going to do if he was forced to leave the circus, he knew no family, he didn’t even know anyone outside of the circus!  
It was true that he did loathe his life, but at least he wasn’t living on the streets!! 

With the prior knowledge that Francis had, he immediately figured out that the circus’ betrayal was linked to money. Just like with Feliciano and Lovino, this institution was buying Yao, like he was some kind of property. Francis couldn’t help but feel sorry for Yao, and angry about the overall situation, he ran to keep up with Yao as he rushed to the front of the theatre companies building.  
Yao saw his coach standing with four men in black suits, all looking as though they didn’t belong here, besides just the fact that they were westerners. 

“Yao Wang, we’re pleased to finally meet you, you did an impressive show back there, how long did it take you to learn the tricks with the lighting?” The first man asked, revealing an American accent.  
Francis stood behind Yao, focussing all of his energy on that man, the one who has appeared in everyone’s memories until now.  
It was driving Francis crazy: what does he want with them?! 

“I told you,” The Coach began, smiling widely; which only unsettled Yao more, “there are no pyrotechnics, it is all him.” 

“I see… My men backstage did confirm that you have no pyrotechnic devices… You were telling the truth—“ 

Yao couldn’t take it anymore, he finally broke, “What is going on?” 

“Well, we have an offer for you,” The American explained, “We want to find out what gives you your abilities. And so, it would be best if you came with us.”

“What…?” Yao gasped.  
Even Francis was taken by surprise, why is he telling Yao what he’s doing, why is he suddenly taking a peaceful approach?! 

“You should go, Yao,” The coach encouraged, which earned a deeply confused glare from Yao, as this was the man who worked him endlessly every day and now he was suddenly so eager to get him out of there and with this man. 

“We can help you, you just need to come with us,” The American explained. 

It was at this moment where Yao convinced himself that this was his choice, if he wasn’t wanted at the circus: then he may as well leave them! Perhaps these people can actually help him…  
“What will it involve me doing?” Yao asked. 

“Does that really matter?” The coach hissed. 

“Good question,” The American chuckled, “It won’t be anything too rigorous, just some tests, we will provide you with housing and supplies, and we will notify you of all progress. It will be easy and you will be rewarded for your services.” 

“Really?” Yao asked. 

Finally, with a scoff to his coach, not even wanting to say goodbye, why would he want to say goodbye to someone who abandoned him so quickly? It was not like Yao had dedicated nearly ten years of his life to his circus!! Yao looked back to the building, wondering what was going to happen to it without him there.  
Without another word, he was escorted to a car, tall men in suits standing by him like bodyguards, all watching intensely, as though anticipating something from him. 

Francis was already sitting in the car as Yao was placed in the back seat, instantly noticing how the two front seats were blocked off by a heavily tinted window. Yao shuddered as the door was slammed behind him.  
Francis could feel the guilt wave through Yao, what had he done!? In a panic, Yao tried to pull on the handle, desperate to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.  
Sure, he hated the circus, but at least he knew what was happening to him there! He agreed to this out of spite! 

“Wait!!” Yao cried as he desperately pulled the door handle, desperate to escape the car. However, before he could even think about anything else, a thick gas was sprayed from the air conditioning vents. Yao let out a scream as he attempted to cover his face with his sleeves, feeling the sweet smelling gas burn his throat.  
“NO!! LET ME OUT!! LET ME OUT!!” Yao cried as he began to kick the door, trying his best to kick through the window. Slowly, it became harder and harder to move. Despite how hard he tried, Yao’s attempt to fight was a short one; it became difficult to keep his eyes open as he felt his kicks begin to weaken. He laid back across the seats, staring at the roof of the car as he struggled to stay conscious. Slowly he began to drift away… Struggling to make a sentence with his thoughts, his head rotated at the world spun around him… He tried to muster the strength to cry out again, but he just did not have the energy within him anymore… He begged himself to not fall asleep, to not give up, however… no matter how hard he tried… He fell into a heavy sleep. 

\---- 

Francis sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, pushing the soft blonde locks off of his face as he looked back to Yao. Francis knew that he regretted all of it, he regretted jumping into a situation that he didn’t understand, all out of spite of being abandoned by those that he helped. Yao had his arms wrapped around his torso, holding himself tightly as he looked to the floor.  
It was Francis who broke the silence between them, “They would have taken you by force if you didn’t take the deal.” 

“I just don’t understand, why did they approach me like that?” Yao asked, “why bother with the approach at all when they could have just thrown me in the back seat and gas me?!” 

“Can you electrocute multiple people?” Francis asked. 

“Yes.” 

“That’s why. They were cautious around you, because they knew that you could hurt all of them at once if you wanted. If they made one wrong move at the wrong time, you would have taken out all of them.” Francis explained, becoming more and more irritated by the moment, “They lied to you in order to gain trust. They lied to Matthew too, they said that they were going to help him, not only have we not seen evidence of that, but that attitude of ‘helping us’ does not match what happened to the others…” 

“So, they lied to all of us.” Yao murmured. 

“It appears so, every time they’ve spoken to someone, it has not matched out situation. I don’t like this; they’ve done all they could to get us here. This guy has travelled throughout the whole world to find and collect us…” Francis murmured, his hands trembling from the anxiety, “It’s making me sick…”

"I don't like this either, let's hope that the other memories can help as well, who do you want me to get next?" Yao asked. 

Francis didn't have to think for long before making his decision, "Ivan."


	10. Chapter 10

"Dude, show yourself already, I can hear you breathing," Alfred murmured, certain that he could feel someone sitting next to him.   
And to his surprise, Matthew showed himself, sitting right beside Alfred.   
Visibly proud of himself, Alfred laughed loudly, "WHOA! That was a complete guess!!" 

"How long have you been there?" Arthur asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Not long!" Matthew replied, "I just woke up, I barely noticed that I wasn't visible anyway... hey, how are you two so calm right now?"

"I've run out of energy to put into panicking," Arthur admitted darkly as his eyes narrowed and a sly smile crossed his lips, "trust me, if I could; I'd burn this place to the ground..." 

"Then I'd stop you!" Alfred snapped, turning to look to the Englishman, who still appeared indifferent to Alfred's statement, "we shouldn't rock the boat, and if they are going to help us, shouldn't we take it? I don't know about you, but I don't want these powers!"  
At this admission, Arthur’s cold stare faltered slightly, like he was actually considering what Alfred had said, but quickly, his coldness returned.  
Noticing Arthurs change, Alfred asked, "How do you feel about your powers? Would you want them gone, or at least understood?" 

"My powers are... I just..." Arthur murmured, struggling to find the right place to start. "I don't like them, but they work for me, no one would want to fuck with me when I can burn them."   
Despite the firmness of his voice, Arthur knew that in actual fact; he feared his powers; he feared how quickly he loses control when he sets them alight, and how quickly a situation can become a disaster. While his straightjacket serves as a prison, it is also what's stopping himself from destroying everything he touches. 

"I don't mind my powers..." Matthew admitted shyly, "people who want to hurt me can't find me. And before either of you say anything, I know, I still got captured in this case. But once we get out, I swear to God that I'm never becoming visible again." 

“Well, I hate my powers!” Alfred snapped. Suddenly, the trio gasped as the couch tipped back the back of the couch colliding with the floor at such a high speed, the trio were nearly forced off of the couch entirely. 

“Are you ok?!” Ivan asked, running over to the trio from the kitchen, cutting his breakfast short. 

“FUCK!” Arthur growled as he rolled off the couch. “Why the fuck did that happen?” 

“Goddammit…” Alfred growled, remaining perfectly still and stared at the ceiling with a blank expression, as though he was still sitting on an upright couch. “It doesn’t like that…” 

“You should really learn to control that…” Matthew sighed as he rolled onto his hands and knees before getting off of the floor. 

“But here’s the thing: I didn’t do this!” Alfred pointed out bluntly. Suddenly, the couch flew upright, returning to its normal position, where Alfred continued to sit, his expression did not change at all, “but I did fix it.” 

“Do you really have no control?” Ivan asked. 

“None, once something happens I… I can’t control it. This was just little compared to other stuff that’s happened. I stand by my statement,” Alfred explained as he rose from the couch, his hands tightened into fists. Alfred opened his mouth, as though to speak some more, but he had cut himself off before he could begin. “I shouldn’t bitch about it; it’s only gonna make it worse…”  
Ivan sighed as he looked away from the blonde, knowing exactly what pain Alfred was experiencing, as he too knew what it was like to not have any control over his powers. He looked down at his gloved hand, remembering all of the trouble they have caused. 

“Good to see that more people are awake,” Francis announced as he and Yao entered the area. Francis smiled warmly as he glanced at Ivan, and Ivan knew exactly what he was in for.   
He could only hope that his memories would help just a little bit… 

\---- 

Every day for the past three years, Ivan had been turning up to work at least an hour before work is scheduled to start, in order to have the entire bathroom to him.   
As he looked worse in the mornings than any other time of day. 

Ivan glanced at himself in the mirror, chuckling at how huge his copious layers of clothing made him look. First he removed his fur coat, revealing the grey thermal shirt he had on underneath. And then he began to unravel the thick scarf that covered his neck and the bottom half of his face. However, as soon as the scarf dropped, he gasped.   
Ivan leaned forward to inspect the damage: his inner lips and nostrils had become tinted black from the prominent frostbite, and Ivan knew that it would take ages to get rid of. He supposed that it was lucky that he came as early as he did. 

Taking a closer look, Ivan could see the dry skin of his mouth crumble and give off a light blue and purple tint, whereas the inner side and corners or his lips looked as though he had swallowed black ink, and his nostrils bared similar traits. He looked like a frozen monster. 

Then he looked down at his gloves and sighed, he could only imagine how disastrous his hands looked right now, before suddenly becoming conscious of his feet, as he knew that they were prone to his self-manipulated frostbite too. There was no way he could get rid of the frostbite on his hands and feet, but he can at least make the damage done to his mouth and nose less prominent. He had to admit that he was thankful that the frostbite hadn’t infected the inner corers of his eyes, as it sometimes does. 

And when he removed his gloves, he was exposed to the damage: the top halves of his fingers were as black as coal, while the rest faded into a deep blue, whilst his hands were a frosted white. He had the hands of someone who’d be found dead in the snow. Francis stood behind Ivan, watching as the Russian heated a paper towel under the electronic heater, before pressing the heated paper towel on his face in an attempt to warm his face enough to return his skin back to normal. Ivan breathed deeply as he felt the heat against his skin, he did enjoy the warm sensation, and it was better than what Ivan used to do. Ivan used to use warm water, however, quickly Ivan learned that this method was the worst thing for him to do, as the water quickly froze and only made his skin worse.   
As the paper towel quickly became cold, Ivan lifted it off his face, to see that it had fixed a little bit of the frostbite, however, it would take many more of this in order to Ivan to consider himself presentable. 

Francis sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest, watching Ivan press another heated paper towel against his face. Ivan internally panicked, hoping that the frostbite would calm down before more people showed up for work. He always arrived early to work to make sure that he was presentable before beginning his day. He was terrified of someone seeing him like this, they would be scared of him, they would take him to a hospital where he would be exposed for the monster he is…   
Ivan looked down at his hands as he changed paper towels, his heart sinking as he noted the damage done to his hands. He had always wanted to spend a day not having to wear his gloves, and it looked as though that day was never going to come. He had the hands of a corpse buried in the snow… 

His hands were also a main reason of why he ran away from home. Originally, Ivan lived with his sisters in Moscow, his youngest sister worked every day to provide for Ivan and his youngest sister, who was always sick… As he grew older, Ivan came to feel as though it was his coldness that was preventing his small and frail sister from getting better. 

And so, as soon as he found the means to, Ivan ran away to one of the coldest cities in Russia, knowing that he could at least fit in a little better there. The more he thinks about it, the more he was glad that he ran away, now his little sister could get the attention she required, and his older sister didn’t have so many mouths to feed… But… It still hurt… He still missed them; he still debated returning to them and telling them that he was sorry… 

Suddenly, Ivan shuddered, hearing voices coming from outside of the male bathroom. The voices were loud and manly, like a group of friends had come to work, excited for the day ahead of them.   
Ivan swore under his breath as he looked back to the mirror to see that his lips and nose were still a blue hue, and his hands were even worse. All Ivan could do was continue and pray that none of them want to use the bathroom…   
And to his horror, the bathroom door opened and two men walked inside.   
As soon as they saw him, they saw Ivan’s hands and they cried out in shock. 

“You poor boy!” One cried as he ran to Ivan, before looking back to his friend, “Call an ambulance!!” 

“No! No!” Ivan stuttered, trying to back away from the men, trying to hide his hands behind his back, but it was no use, one man grabbed his arm and forced his hand out from behind his back, snapping at him. 

“Don’t be stupid! You need to go to hospital; you could lose your hands!!” 

“I’M FINE!” Ivan snapped. 

“I SAID DON’T BE STUPID!” The man snapped, taking a look at Ivan’s hands, “I’ve never seen frostbite so bad, what did you do!?” 

Ivan began to panic, as more and more people entered the bathroom and saw Ivan’s condition, the more he wanted to knock them all over and run into the forest and never come back! However, like his hands, he was frozen.   
However, he became terrified when he watched one man fill a bucket with warm water. 

“NO! I DON’T NEED TO GO TO HOSPITAL!! I’M FINE!! GO AWAY!!” 

“The ambulance is coming!! We need to keep his hands warm!!” 

“I have the warm water!!”

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!!! Anything but that!!

Francis could feel Ivan’s heart stop; he froze with fear as he watched the steam rise from the hot water, knowing exactly what the hot water would do to him.   
“I don’t need it!!” Ivan whimpered as the men began to pull on his arms, pulling him to the warm water like dragging a dog on a leash. His hands trembled as he felt the steam cling to his skin, and immediately began to sting, it was far too hot! This was going to hurt!! 

“It’s ok, my boy!” One man said, seeing Ivan’s terror as anxiety, “We’ll get you to the hospital and it will be fine!” 

Ivan closed his eyes and hissed in pain as his frostbitten hands were dipped into the water.   
As soon as his hands were submerged, Ivan began to scream in pain, feeling the water cling to the frost on his hands, which immediately stung his sensitive skin, like hundreds of needles piercing him all at once.   
Ivan whimpered as he fought the urge to pull his hands out of the water and run away, knowing that he would only be causing himself more pain if he exposed his wet hands to the cold air outside… 

If Ivan could cry real tears, he knew that he would be weeping from the pain as he was escorted to the ambulance by the paramedics. The voices around him became blurred as all he could focus on was the pain in his hands, trying his hardest to not turn the warm water into a block of ice in the process.   
Francis watched on as Ivan’s entire body began to tremble, his anxiety, fear and pain became too much for Ivan to process, he felt as though he was about to faint. 

\---- 

Days later Ivan was still in the hospital. As he expected, the doctors were left speechless by his ‘ailment’. 

Ivan could only sit in a bed and wait for his assessments to be over, listening to the doctors as they spoke about him like he wasn’t even there. 

‘He is not reacting to the anti-biotics at all.’  
‘It’s like he is generating the coldness from within him.’  
‘No matter what we do, the frost-bite isn’t receding. It’s like it IS his skin.’   
‘So far, frostbite has covered areas of his body that draw the most moisture… Perhaps the frostbite isn’t external.’

Ivan had never felt so alone by that point… It had been days since the doctors had spoken around him. 

Francis could only sigh as he felt the coldness radiate off of Ivan, quickly the Frenchman understood why Ivan was so nervous when exposed to the rest of the group. He felt as though he was a monster… And treatment from the doctors and hospital staff was not helping…

Francis couldn’t help but feel angry, Ivan did not deserve to be isolated like this, surely the doctors knew that there was no way this was contagious!   
Ivan had suffered over the past three weeks, as the doctors tried to cure his frostbite, the worse the pain became. Those doctors were not fazed as Ivan cried and screamed, begging for it to stop. Even in his dreams, the pain did not stop… 

Today was different, no one had come to speak to him, or do anything to him. Ivan hoped that they had finally given up on him and were going to leave him alone.   
Despite his wishes, the door creaked open, and Ivan didn’t even look up, expecting a nurse to be walking in with his food. However, when Francis turned around, his eyes widened with shock when he saw him… That same man, the American, who has appeared in every memory… He had come again, and this time he was alone. Francis watched with wide eyes as he walked silently towards Ivan, who still hadn’t looked up to acknowledge him. 

“So… Ivan Braginski?” He asked. 

Once again, Ivan did not look up at him, but still sat in silence, not willing to engage.

“I heard some things about you, I almost didn’t believe it… Someone whose skin generates frostbite…” 

Francis began to grumble as he hovered around the man’s back, determined to pick up any details about him, however, he was exactly the same as before, even his suit looked the same. It enraged Francis, why was he doing this?! What lies was he going to tell Ivan! 

“Would you like me to take you out of here?” 

At this question, Ivan finally looked up at him, his eyes darkened from suspicion, but he still did not speak… He didn’t want to, despite the many questions that he had. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. But I can promise you, you won’t be treated like that again…”

Francis frowned, what does this mean? Is he making a promise, or do these words mean nothing. Is he lying to Ivan like he did to Matthew and Yao?   
Before Ivan could muster the strength to protest, or even verbally agree, he was being escorted out of the hospital. He could feel the weight of dozens of stares on his back as he walked away, not knowing what world he was going to enter as he left the hospital. 

However, before he could wonder for long, he was placed inside of a car, where before he could even get his seatbelt on, a gas mask was placed around his face. By this point, Ivan lost his memory, however, Francis watched on as Ivan suffered through another panic attack, not liking the idea of having to breathe in gas. Ivan’s arms were pinned to the car seat as he struggled, hyperventilating as he felt light headed from the gas. However… his fight did not last long, as Ivan quickly lost consciousness. 

Francis retracted from Ivan’s memory, awakening in present time. Francis could feel Ivan’s anxiety radiating off of him, much like his coldness. 

“They should not have treated you like that, those doctors... You are not a monster...” Francis sighed, “I’m sorry that you went through that.” Francis did not expect an answer from Ivan, so he continued to talk, “The American knew that you were not going to fight him, so he went to confront you alone, and did not offer you many options… He mentioned hearing about you, which is interesting. Who could have told him about you? In fact, who could have told him about any of us…?”  
Francis sighed as his head fell into his hands. “How did he find out about any of us…?” 

“Maybe…” Ivan murmured, “Maybe this isn’t a study, or rehabilitation… What if it’s a prison?”

“But we’ve done nothing wrong. We are what we are, we can’t help it…” Francis explained. “This… This can’t be a prison…” 

Francis heard Ivan sigh, hearing how his thoughts were also uncomfortable with the idea. And so Ivan changed the subject, “Who do you want me to get for you?” 

“Kiku. But don’t worry;” Francis murmured lifting his head to look at Ivan, who looked just as unsettled about the whole situation as Francis did, “I’ll go to him.”


	11. Chapter 11

Francis could feel Kiku’s depressed aura the instant he opened the door to Kiku and Yao’s room; peeking through the door, he could see the shape of Kiku’s body lying underneath the covers. He knew that Kiku was awake, and so he walked into the bedroom. 

Francis could feel Kiku’s grief and Francis understood why Kiku had chosen to not leave the bedroom. And so, that was why Francis chose to come to him.   
Kiku was in a state of despair; he was incredibly worried about his mother, and as Francis listened to more of Kiku’s thoughts, he could hear his worries and anxieties slowly began to take him over. All of the questions left unanswered were taking their toll on him, and even Francis felt powerless to help him. 

“Do you think they left her alone?” Kiku asked, breaking the silence between the two. 

Francis sighed as he sat at the end of Kiku’s bed, being careful to not sit on his feet, “I’d like to think so… Otherwise, she would be here with us.” 

Kiku didn’t respond, but instead held on tighter to his pillow.   
“Do you want to see my memory?” Kiku asked. 

“Would you be ok with that?” Francis asked, listening to Kiku debate the situation in his thoughts, before finally providing his consent. 

“If you see it, will you tell me honestly what you think happened to her?” Kiku asked. 

Francis smiled sweetly, hoping that he’d be able to provide the answers that would make Kiku feel better, but nonetheless, he made his promise, no matter what the truth may be: “I promise.” 

\------ 

Out of four siblings, Kiku was the one who inherited the swords in his forearms; fate had chosen him to continue his family’s unique heritage for at least one more generation. It was a gift that he should honour for his entire life, and dedicate years of his life to learning how to use them effectively, in case if the time ever came that his country needed him. 

The history of his family dates back to the Edo period, back when the numbers of people with the gift were immense; and where it was unusual for someone in the Honda family to NOT have the swords. They were assigned as secret body guards to Japanese royalty, a title that they wore proudly, even today, and the Honda family had earned prestige and honour through their service to the country. However, their numbers dwindled significantly in the Twentieth Century, for obvious reasons and the Honda family was discharged from service to the Japanese government following World War Two, and were left to their own devices. Despite this, the members of the Honda family continued to train their children and grandchildren who possessed the gift, for if the day ever came that they needed to be called again. 

It became clear to Francis that Kiku had come from a strong family line of warriors and heroes; however, since the highlight of the eighteenth century, the members of his family who possessed the gift began to dwindle until today, where only Kiku and his mother are the only remaining members of what used to be a powerful family. 

Despite this, upholding family tradition was still a fundamental part of Kiku’s life. He and his mother left the rest of the family to live in the traditional family home in Kyoto, which was a small house with a dojo in the back garden. Like the many generations before them, Kiku and his mother, Misora, lived alone and dedicated their lives towards Kiku’s training and private education.   
Ever since he was a child, he had been learning to use his blades, and this dedicated training was obvious through the skill he displayed. Kiku would spend the mornings studying and reading, whilst the afternoons were spent building his physical strength and skill with his blades. 

After the last practice for the day, Kiku left the house to walk to the local supermarket in order to collect the food needed to make dinner for the night. It was a routine day to end a routine week, nothing felt different or odd to Kiku.   
However, Kiku frowned when he noticed a black car parked in front of his house, Kiku and his mother rarely had visitors, especially without Kiku’s prior knowledge. 

Quietly, Kiku walked back into the house, looking around for any sign of his mother or any guests; however, the house was perfectly clean and tidy, without any items out of their place. It looked as though everything was normal. Guessing that they were in the dojo, Kiku placed the groceries on the table before making his way towards the back garden. 

Francis watched as Kiku slid the glass door to the back garden open, suddenly becoming wary of his surroundings, knowing that his mother rarely let outsiders into the dojo, or even in the house for most cases. Something felt off about the entire situation, and it was making Kiku feel extremely uncomfortable. 

He walked across the black stone paved footpath that led to the dojo, trying to listen for any unrecognisable noises. Kiku breathed slowly through his mouth and stepped very slowly, remembering his mother’s advice on how to remain quiet when travelling. 

And finally, Kiku was close enough to hear voices, “I thought I told you during your last visit that I’m not going to allow this.” 

“But we’ve improved so much since my last visit, we have discovered more, more kids around the world with these amazing abilities,” A new voice explained, an American.   
Francis’ eyes widened as he leant closer to Kiku, desperate to hear anything new. 

“My stance has not changed, my family will not be taking part in any of your operations. Especially not my son.” 

“What if we can understand where your family’s gift comes from? Theoretically, Kiku is going to be the last of your kind. Wouldn’t you like him to know what gives him his ability, and perhaps how we can ensure the continuation of the family gift?”

“Don’t bring him into this.” 

“You’re not giving me any options here, Misora…” 

“You have none.” 

“Now you’re being suborn, you don’t even know what we do—“ 

“I know what you’d have to do to get your answers, I’m not stupid.” 

The man sighed as Kiku slowly crept towards the open door to the dojo, “I wanted to do this fairly, but you’re not giving me a choice, we have a quota to meet. I respected your wishes and left you alone last time, but I don’t think I can do it again.” 

“If you want to take my son, you will have to get through me first!” 

“I’d hate to do this to you, Misora… But this time, I am not taking no for an answer.”

Kiku couldn’t take it anymore, he run into the dojo, bracing to unsheathe his blades to anyone who dared confront him. He saw his mother had set up a low tea table in the centre of the dojo, where she sat across from a man who wore a black suit. Five more men stood around the pair, as though guarding them.   
Instantly, Francis recognised him, it was the American again, once again he has appeared in a memory, however, this time Francis has been given more information about him and what his plans are. 

“Kiku—“ 

“Oh, hello!” the American man said, smiling casually at Kiku. The longer Kiku stared at the man’s smile, the more anxious he became. 

“Kiku! Get out, now!” Misora cried. 

“What is going on, what were you talking about?” Kiku asked, bracing himself by revealing his wrists, being ready to unleash his blades at any point. “Who is this…?” 

When he received no answer, Kiku became more and more anxious, everything about this situation felt wrong. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, as though waiting for him to do something. However the silence did not last, as Kiku was suddenly grabbed from behind. Not hesitating, Kiku unleashed his blades and attempted to swing them at the person who had grabbed him from behind and lifted him off of the floor. 

“LET GO OF HIM!” Misora screamed as more men grabbed at Kiku’s arms, keeping him still in order to prevent him from making any damage.   
Kiku watched as she revealed her blades, which were comparatively longer than Kiku’s, she rose from the floor and braced to attack, however, before she could move, Misora screamed as he entire body shacked, before falling down onto the table. 

“NO!!” Kiku cried as he struggled against the grip of his captors, becoming angrier as he fought for control. “LET GO OF ME!! DON’T TOUCH HER!!” Despite his struggle, the American calmly walked towards him, knowing that there was no way that Kiku was strong enough to break free. 

“Don’t worry, we won’t, it’s just you we’re after,” The American explained with a wide smile, which only made Kiku question his words, as so far, Kiku did not consider trusting this man.   
Kiku struggled to speak he was too occupied with trying to escape, refusing to give up on regaining his freedom. He panicked and hyperventilated as he struggled against their grip, trying to angle his arms so he could try to cut his captors. 

Francis tried to focus on the American, confirming that it was indeed the same man who had appeared in everyone’s memories. It did not surprise Francis to see him here. Francis stared intensely at the man, wondering what other information he could get from the memory, however, before he could do anything more, a plastic gas mask was placed over Kiku’s nose and mouth, forcing him to breathe in a sweet smelling and nauseating gas.   
Francis sighed and watched as Kiku screamed and struggled in the grip of his captors, he was angry to be taken down so easily, was all of his training worth anything if he can’t even protect his mother.

Slowly the gas started to take effect on him, Francis watched as Kiku’s vision blurred and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, trying his best to attempt to fight for longer. However, his effort was futile, and he succumbed to the darkness which effectively ended the memory. 

\------

Francis opened his eyes and returned to reality, and looked to Kiku who was sitting up on the opposite end of the bed, clutching the pillow in his lap. Kiku was already staring at Francis, his eyes saddened by reliving the memory, but at least someone had experienced it with him now. Francis could feel Kiku’s pain now, and understood what he had been through, and his worries over his mother were justified. 

“That American man is really beginning to annoying me…” Francis grumbled, “He has been in every memory I’ve seen, he is the one behind this.” 

“He knew my mother somehow, perhaps this has been going on for a long time, who knows how long he has been watching all of us,” Kiku added. 

“I’m sorry, you do not deserve to go through any of this; none of us do. This man has lied to so many of us; none of us know what is going on. But your memory was useful; at least we understand some of the preparation that has gone into this…” 

Francis sighed before staring down to his lap, knowing that Kiku wanted to hear Francis’ opinion about the status of his mother.   
Francis couldn’t deny that she could be in a bad situation, however, there is no definite proof, for all Francis knows, she could be trying to track Kiku down as they spoke. She obviously knew something about this, considering she and the American had spoken in the past.   
Francis could feel Kiku grow more and more anxious as he waited for Francis’ answer, knowing that Francis knew he was waiting for it. 

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Francis sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking up at Kiku, thinking carefully about what he was going to say. “Anything could have happened to her. However, it doesn’t mean that something has happened to her. If she was left unable to fight for a long enough time, they could have just taken you and left her alone. However, if she was able to, she could have fought back and attempted to prevent your abduction. Although, I don’t doubt that if she was left untouched, she would be doing her best to find you right now.”   
Kiku did not reply, but Francis already knew exactly how he was feeling, the memory offered no new details to him, and Francis’ observations followed what Kiku already suspected.   
“I’m sorry; I really wish I could tell you more.” 

Despite his silence, Francis knew that Kiku was pleased with Francis’ effort, and understood that even the Frenchman’s powers had its limits, and he can’t ask for anything more than that.


	12. Chapter 12

As soon as Alfred noticed Francis enter the living area, with Kiku walking by his side, Alfred knew that his turn had come. Immediately, Francis eyes locked with Alfred’s, having heard his thoughts. Since Francis has disappeared into his room with Yao this morning, more people had emerged from their rooms and congregated in the living space. Ludwig sat on the couch with Alfred and Arthur, whilst Gilbert took the armrest as a seat. Matthew was in the kitchen cooking the group a breakfast of pancakes with Feliciano and Lovino. Yao and Ivan sat at the dining table, engaging in conversation, and sometimes including Matthew and the Italians, as they were standing close enough to hear when they spoke loud enough. Everyone seemed to be getting along greatly and everyone found some sense of comfort around each other, because they all knew that they were not alone. It was the kind of peace that made Alfred so happy, he could finally allow himself to relax for a little bit and not constantly worry, despite the situation that the group of newfound friends found themselves in. Realising that Francis was standing by the doorframe, Alfred nodded as he stood up from his place on the couch next to Arthur.

“I’m the last one left!” Alfred pointed out, stretching his arms upward as he walked around the couch, passing Kiku on the way to Francis. “Aren’t you going to be glad when this is over?”

“It’s the most work my powers have ever had to do, I think I’m actually getting better at it,” Francis chuckled as he escorted Alfred down the bright hallway.

“Have you found out anything good?” Alfred asked.

“This is deeper than we thought; they are rich and obviously have a lot of connections… Honestly, the more memories I see, the more confused I get.” Francis explained, “And I’m seeing more and more of this same man.”

“Heh… I think I might know who you’re talking about,” Alfred chuckled, and instantly Francis could see the image of a man’s face flash across Alfred’s memory.

“You do… You’ve seen him too…” Francis grimaced, “I can tell already that you’ve seen a lot of what these people are capable of doing; you could be useful in understanding what power we’re up against.”

“Although, I don’t know much…” Alfred admitted, nervously scratching the back of his head as he followed Francis into his and Arthur’s bedroom.                

“But that doesn’t mean that you don’t know enough. Anything can help us, really,” Francis pointed out as he sat on one end of the bed, whilst Alfred sat on the other.

“Arthur told me that this is like being taken back in time... You think all of the same thoughts again, do the same things… You don’t know anything; you go through everything again like it had just happened…” Alfred explained, his hands tightening into fists, gathering some of the white blanket around his hands. 

“I can understand how that would be confronting for many of us,” Francis nodded, seeing why reliving the memories would make many members of their group extremely uncomfortable… He ponded over the idea of checking if everyone was ok after seeing Alfred’s memories; as he’d hate to leave his new friends with bad thoughts lingering, knowing what bad memories can do to people. Sometimes bad memories can be the worst form of torture.

Francis glanced up at Alfred, knowing that the American was already feeling anxious about what was to come, his charisma and charm had faded away and Alfred stared blankly at the surface of the bed. “Are you going to be ok with this?”

Francis question made Alfred ponder, and Francis could hear every side of Alfred’s debate, and he knew his conclusion before Francis spoke, “Yeah, it’s for the best. Are you still going to help me with my parents after?”

Francis sighed, “Yes, I said that I would, so I will stick to my word. I just can’t guarantee results; I’ve never gone looking for a forgotten memory before.”  

Despite the answer, Alfred still smiled, hopeful at the opportunity, “Thanks…”

And so, with his eyes glowing white, Francis found the memory that he was looking for instantly, as it was the last memory Alfred had before waking up in the white room next door.

\----

Alfred’s day was just like any other, he woke up early in the morning to catch the bus down to the mall for his first job of the day. Retail. Although, it was not the best job he had ever had, it’s one that pays.  He often swapped rolls, working as either a cashier at the front, or having the role of running the refunds counter.

He worked at the popular retail franchise, Walmart, from 9am to 3pm, and then he would have an hour to travel from one job to the next, where he worked as a waiter at Johnny Rockets from 4pm to 9pm, before returning to his apartment at 10pm. He had been following this current schedule for the past three months, only having Sundays as a day off. Alfred was always exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically; but yet he never failed to chirp “Have a nice day~” like he was the happiest bastard on earth.  

Alfred had been working ever since he was old enough to legally do it, one time; he managed to nearly hold three jobs at once, until the stress caused an “accident” bad enough to get him fired.

What he called “accidents” were moments where his powers grew a mind of their own, when he was emotionally or mentally torn, he would lose control for just a moment: and something would happen. He has seen security footage from stores that he was worked at on YouTube, showing objects flying around while he was in the room, and the video title would always be some shit like “HAUNTED WALMART” or something that reeked of clickbait. He’s just been lucky that no one has recognised him. One clip in particular was when he was working as a waiter at another restaurant, he thinks this one may have been Denny’s, but there’s been so many; he can’t remember what footage is from where. He was walking around, clearing an empty booth; it was either closing time or very late at night at the restaurant: judging by how few people were there. Everything looked normal on the security footage, until every empty chair flew out from its place at once. Naturally, Alfred appeared to be surprised by the action, but quickly went to reversing the damage. He found it funny how people speculate that some of the places he worked at are haunted, only because he happened to be the thing haunting it.

“Do you want a bag for this?” Alfred asked, not surprised that the customer didn’t even look up from her phone, let alone acknowledge him. He chuckled silently to himself as he placed the bottle of spray deodorant on the other side of the register, ready for the customer to pick up. “Alright, I’ll assume that’s a no then.” Raising his voice slightly, Alfred explained, “That’ll be $3.97, thank you.”

“Oh! Right!” The woman murmured, finally locking her phone and focussing on finding the cash in her wallet, before noticing the bottle of deodorant sitting on the other side of the register, “can I get that in a bag, or do I have to pay for those here?”

“No, ma’am,” Alfred answered, honestly not surprised at the woman’s sudden interest in what he had to say, despite him asking her if she wanted a bag  no less than a minute ago. But then again, occurrences like this happen daily; it’s a part of the job, besides, he can’t be mad for long, he has only a couple of minutes left in his shift, and his replacement cashier was standing right behind him, waiting for Alfred to finish his last transaction of the day, for Walmart, at least.   “Thank you, have a nice day,” Alfred chirped as the woman took her bag and left, immediately Alfred turned around before the next customer could assume that Alfred was going to serve him. “Hey dude,” Alfred chirped at the young teenager who was replacing him. Often this kid was bright, he would usually be happy to see Alfred, or even ask how his shift was, however, this time, he seemed nervous.

“Alfred, if you’ve done anything, you should turn yourself in,” The kid whispered as he tried to slide past Alfred to get into the cashier booth, however, Alfred stopped him by stepping back in front of him.

“What are you talking about?” Alfred asked, looking as confused as he was terrified, “What do you mean, if I’ve ‘done anything’?”

“Look, I saw some guys in suits talking to one of the managers; I heard them mention your name from the break room. They’re looking into you man. You’ve gotta stop with the 4.20 jokes, you’re gonna get in trouble. Those men in the back looked damn important, and I swear that I heard YOUR name.”

_“What?”_ Alfred gasped, shocked that the teenager had even brought that up, mainly because Alfred has only used that stupid joke ONCE and the panic that was staring to settle in. “Dude; that means nothing! What do you think is going on?! I’ve done nothing, believe me.”

“Whatever, man, just watch your back and do what you’ve got to. But I think something is going on,” The teenager murmured as he made his way past Alfred and into the register booth, “I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m sorry, don’t tell anyone I said anything.”

“Don’t worry,” Alfred whispered as he walked away, trying his best to not become too stressed, dreading the idea of having an “accident” right now.  Could the FBI be looking at him, or the CIA, or just the police?! Had his videos gotten THAT much attention that they’ve warranted an investigation?! No… Surely not…

Francis watched as Alfred slowly and quietly made his way through the back room of the store, wanting to get his bag out of the staff lockers and leave as soon as possible. Francis noticed how every staff member that Alfred passed looked at him, wondering why Alfred appeared so anxious… But to Alfred, their stares meant suspicion, like he had done something wrong, and the anxiety was beginning to feel heavy on Alfred’s shoulders.

Of course, as Alfred left the store, he tried his best to rationalise, Alfred hadn’t seen any men in suits or heard anything out of the ordinary; everything would be fine if that teenager hadn’t said something. Perhaps the kid misheard executives talking to the manager about the store! Any words could have sounded like Alfred! It is fine!! Everything is FINE!! Stop PANICKING!! FUCK!

He hadn’t felt like this in years, it had never been so bad. Usually he had “accidents” when he thought too much about things, when he thought about his parents or the missing section of his childhood, like his powers took advantage of his moments of weakness to cause destruction around him, no matter how insignificant it is.

The rest of Alfred’s day was normal, however, Alfred’s mental state continued to deteriorate throughout the night. Although, he pretended that everything was fine as he drew smiley faces on the paper plates with ketchup for every person he served. However, once his back was turned his face changed, and in moments of weakness his charismatic persona fell apart. Other wait-staff and even chefs would ask him if he was ok, only for him to shrug it off as a lack of sleep.

No matter how hard he tried to rationalise what the teenager had said, thoughts of doubt still plagued his mind, he could feel eyes on him, and now he watched every person he walked by with some degree of suspicion. However, no one in suits appeared. 

Until around halfway through his shift… As soon as Francis saw the men walk into the crowded restaurant, he knew instantly that Alfred’s suspicions were right: he was being watched. However, Alfred tried to rationalise it as a coincidence, not knowing what his future held. Alfred silently thanked God that he wasn’t waiting that table as he couldn’t help but feel as though he wouldn’t be able to serve that table without having an anxiety attack. Four men sat at the table, and Alfred swore that he could feel them staring at him as he walked by, carrying a tray that held plates of food.

Alfred snapped himself out of his phase as he served a family their orders, putting on his perfect smile and happy face, of course offering to help them out with anything else they wanted.

However, once Alfred turned back to make his way back to the kitchen, he noticed only three men at the table. Ignoring this, Alfred continued his shift, for another hour, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and he tried his best to serve people and ignore the men at the table, doing anything to avoid going to their end of the restaurant.

“Alfred,” One of the managers said, waving to him before Alfred could grab another tray with plates. The tone in his voice was serious and one that Alfred had heard from many managers before, it was one that made his skin crawl as he awkwardly walked over to the manager. When Alfred was close enough, he pulled out his phone and unlocked it, revealing a YouTube page, with a video ready to play, “Do you mind explaining what this is?”

Alfred felt his heart drop as the video started playing, it was one of those damned security footage videos that was taken from one of his old workplaces. It was the one at the Denny’s, where Alfred was cleaning tables and all of the chairs fell down at once. “Oh…”

“That’s you, right?” The manager asked.

“Yeah, you see: that was ages ago!” Alfred chuckled, trying to act as clam as he could, “Some work buddies and I thought it’d be funny, and one of us was doing special-effects in college, so we thought we’d use work to make a horror genre scene for this guy’s project!” Alfred finally felt confident enough in his lie to smile, “It was a stupid idea, that’s actually how I lost my job there, all of us got it! So don’t worry, I’m not gonna do that again!”

“Really?” The manager asked, starling at Alfred as though he was a liar, “So were all of the other videos staged too? Cause there’s another video like this, but in a Walmart… You better not get into any funny business here…”

“Don’t worry…” Alfred whimpered, feeling his confidence drop like a brick, because he knew that he couldn’t guarantee that…

Quickly, Alfred returned to work; feeling as though multiple sets of eyes were now on him. However, luckily for him; his shift finished without any other stressful interactions.

After catching the bus home, Alfred locked the door to his apartment. As he stumbled around the small apartment and got ready for bed, Alfred’s anxiety did not falter in the slightest. He only grew more and more anxious as the night continued. Despite how hard he tried to rationalise, he could not help but feel as though something was wrong, it was then that he decided that he wasn’t going to leave the apartment tomorrow; thanking God that Sundays were his days off. He used to have no days off; however he quickly learned that there is no way a person can function like that.

The next morning came and Alfred’s anxiety did not stop, he peered through the peep-hole of his apartment constantly, terrified of the idea of someone actually being there. What if he was really being watched by the FBI?! Would he be taken away?! But he’s done nothing wrong!! Of course, he has these powers, but he’s never hurt anybody and he hardly uses them, consciously at least!! They don’t have the right to do anything to him!! There’s no way in hell a bunch of suspicious YouTube videos can launch an investigation onto him!! Despite his efforts to calm himself down, Alfred still couldn’t stop trembling and it wasn’t long before he discovered that his kitchen table was shaking as well. He had never been so bad before…

Francis frowned as he walked around Alfred’s living room, hearing Alfred think about which bill he needed to pay next, and wondered whether his assistance payment would be enough to help him. Ever since he was a child, Alfred had been under the wing of the foster care system, ever since he lost his parents. However, to Alfred’s disadvantage, the people who took him into their homes quickly brought him back to the foster care service offices, citing similar yet frightening reasons.

‘That boy is haunted, objects move around him! We’re scared that he’s going to hurt us or our other kids!’  


‘My son punched Alfred in the arm, and his arm broke after! His friends saw it! We can’t accept this!’  


‘I feel sorry for him, but he needs Jesus. But I can’t let him stay in my house while this is happening!’  


‘You failed to mention how many times this boy has been returned to the agency, now we understand why…’  


‘We have footage of shit flying around our house with no one touching him! This never happened before he arrived!!’  


‘We are scared for our safety, he’s a kind boy; but this is just too much!! We will happily have him back if you fix this!!’

Francis sighed as he watched Alfred hang his shoulders, sinking into the dirty couch whilst sinking deeper into his thoughts… Bringing himself to near tears, why did these people give up on him? Did his parents give up on him too?  

Eventually the agency just stopped trying to find a foster family for him, since his stays would never last more than a year before taking him back. Even his record of school attendance wasn’t good, having changed middle school a record of four times, despite this: he was still a smart student, with very few problems. And so they helped him find an apartment of his own apartment, and often help him with payments before he can get into jobs with higher wages. While he did appreciate the assistance, Alfred still felt as though no one would ‘deal’ with him, as though every concern that his foster parents had fell on death ears…

Francis couldn’t help but feel sorry for Alfred as he watched the American stare hopelessly at his knees, with dark thoughts of worthlessness and pain cycling through Alfred’s head, ignoring the furniture that was trembling in the background. It was like an earthquake was occurring in Alfred’s apartment that he ignored.  

Alfred did not leave his apartment for another two days, he called his jobs and called in sick, and judging by his perfect attendance records: they were willing to let him have the day off. He did not want to leave the apartment because he knew that he was being watched… However, Francis knew that leaving his apartment wouldn’t change anything, he already was assuming that Alfred would be captured in a similar fashion to Ludwig and Gilbert. Francis immediately knew that he was right when Alfred heard a firm knock on the door. Alfred’s eyes widened with fear as he slowly turned his head from his bowel of cereal. He did not want to answer the door, but another knock on the door told him that he wasn’t going to get out of this situation unless he answered the door.

Perhaps he could lessen he stress if he pretended that he was about to leave… Quickly, Alfred dashed to his bedroom and put on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, his favourite brown leather jacket, sneakers and a beanie. A third knock on the door sent a shiver down his spine before he grabbed his wallet and phone before dashing to the front door and swinging it open. Alfred’s demeanour quickly came crashing down when he met the gaze of the men in suits who were standing by his front door.

“Alfred F. Jones?” The man in the front asked. Francis had to physically hold himself back from interfering with the memory and attacking the American man, it was him! AGAIN! Before Francis knew it, the men had let themselves into Alfred’s apartment.

“Hey!” Alfred snapped, “Who are you guys?!”

“We’ll get to that,” The man explained as he smiled at Alfred, sending a shiver down his spine. “We’ve heard a number of things about you Alfred, and we are interested, why don’t you take a seat?” Alfred stared nervously at the man as he joined him at the kitchen table. Francis frowned, what was the man planning on doing with Alfred…? Was he going to take a careful approach like he did with Yao?  

Alfred sat down nervously, feeling the gaze of the men behind him on his back. “Did I do something wrong…? You still haven’t told me anything, and this is my house!”

“Alright, we’ll jump right in then, we know about you.” Francis frowned, _what?_

“What?” Alfred frowned, “Look, if this is about the videos, it’s called a ‘prank’ dude, what the fuck?” Alfred was ready to defend himself; however, the man’s smile destroyed any confidence Alfred thought he had.

“That’s true, videos on YouTube are hardly proof of anything, however, all of your former foster parents all tell me something different to that…” The man explained, instantly Alfred froze, failing to come up with a response, so the man continued. “We have heard many testimonies from people all over, and a very common statement, objects move around you without being touched… What is your stance on that?”

“I…” Alfred murmured, his hands shaking in his lap as he struggled to think of a coherent answer, what had his former foster parents said to these people?! “I don’t know…”

“Do you remember your foster siblings? I think his name was Jason, his mother explained that he punched you, and then his arm broke. Jason says that his arm snapped when you looked at him.” The man pointed out, “And then another foster mother said that she found you on the kitchen floor with all of the cupboard doors opening and closing. You left every family you lived with terrified, terrified enough to _return_ you to the foster service.” Alfred’s eyes widened further as the man continued, “People have told me stories of how your eyes glow and furniture flies.” Alfred tried his best to not appear too visibly shaken; however, he knew that he was failing miserably. “We want to know why that is.” 

Suddenly, before Alfred could begin to think about a response one of the men curled his arm around Alfred’s neck and held him in place as another one placed a plastic gas mask over his face. Alfred tried to fight it, but he was powerless in the man’s grip, until Alfred commanded it, and all of the men were thrown away from him and against the wall.

Taking his chance, Alfred ran for the door and escaped the apartment, dashing down the stairs of the apartment complex, running past the doors to the other units, hearing the men pursue him.

“Fuck! Fuck! FUCKK!!” Alfred cried as he dashed through the car park, escaping the apartment complex, however he knew that he wasn’t going to be safe until these people weren’t chasing him. He turned into the nearest street, seeing no hope of refuge in the houses that lined the whole street. He had to run fast if he hopes to escape.

He heard the roar of tires scraping against the road, and Alfred turned back to see a large black car speeding down the street, no doubt it was them: they weren’t going to give him up without a fight.

And a fight was what Alfred was willing to give.

 Alfred’s eyes glowed as the American suddenly lost control, Francis felt cold as Alfred’s body became limp, standing as though he was being held up by strings to his shoulders. With one huge swing of his arm, the metal letterbox of the house that Alfred stood in front of flew out of the ground and into the windshield of the speeding black car.

Even though he was in a memory, Francis stood back and watched as the car swerved off of the road but was still coming towards Alfred, until Alfred lifted his arm and the car flipped onto its roof, scraping along the road. Alfred’s face did not change as more cars came around the corner, no doubt following the first car that came to hunt Alfred. Without hesitation, Alfred motioned his hands and the first car was pushed back, attempting to block the road. One black car drove off of the road and drove along the sidewalk and the front yards of the houses. This did not deter Alfred, he stood still as the car came charging at him. Alfred simply lifted his hand and the car was stopped, its tires still running and burning the grass and sidewalk, smoke lifting from the wheels. This continued until Alfred finally let go, before the car was suddenly thrown off of the ground and over Alfred’s head, before crashing onto the road behind him, debris spreading all over the road.

However, while he was distracted with the first car, two more cars gathered behind the wreckage of the first car, with men in black padded SWAT uniforms forming position behind the car, holding heavy looking guns. Noticing them, Alfred pushed the first car back, forcing the men to disperse: once Alfred saw the guns that the men were holding, he turned his back to them and resumed running away. Even while he was in this state, he knew when he was outnumbered.

He could still hear them chasing him as he ran away, and tried to remain focussed on getting away as he heard the first gunshot go off. Before Alfred could decide what he was going to do next, Alfred felt a harsh pinch in his back strong enough to make him stumble. Quickly, he reached over his back and pulled something off of his jacket, realising that he had been shot by a large dart.

Not deterred, Alfred continued to run, determined to make his escape. He turned the corner into another street and stumbled, seeing that more people were stationed there. Two large vans blocked the road, and a row of men in black clothing and helmets kneeled in position, aiming their guns at him, of which Alfred guessed were full of the darts.

Francis gasped alongside Alfred, astonished by how much power these people had; all just to capture Alfred. What kind of power did these people have?

Alfred attempted to turn back and run the other way, only to feel his back be shot twice more. Alfred swore as he gave into his frustration and turned back to the men, running at them as he lifted his arms. Despite his effort, he took two more devastating shots before he became strong enough to push everyone and the car  back and off the road, creating a mess along the sidewalk as people screamed and scrambled, not expecting this much power to come from Alfred.

Alfred continued to run down the street, his mind becoming too cloudy and his muscles becoming too heavy for him to continue. Before he knew it, he was stumbling down the street in a manner similar to a drunken man. His body swayed as he tried to get further away, fighting his body against the temptation to fall.

But as he continued, it only became harder to keep his eyes open. He could feel them watching him from behind, positioning themselves behind him like a cast of vultures, waiting for him to fall. Wheezing, Alfred’s eyes returned to normal as he fell to his knees, breathing heavily as he struggled to stay upright; crawling on his hands and knees. Finally, Alfred fell to the hot concrete, feeling it heat up the side of his face as he struggled to keep his eyes open, feeling the numbness of induced sleep cradle his entire body; before Alfred finally succumbed to the darkness.

Francis pulled himself out of the memory and returned to reality, looking at Alfred as he American trembled, his hands holding on tightly to the white blanket on the bed.

“How are you feeling?” Francis asked.

“Arthur was right… I’m feeling it all over again… I still feel…” Alfred murmured as he slowly lifted his head to look at Francis. Despite the pain in his voice, Alfred smiled. “Now you get why I didn’t want the others to break anything.”

“You saw the numbers and the power that they had,” Francis agreed, “at least we now have an idea of what we are up against.”

“I wonder what else they would have done if I had fought harder…” Alfred grimaced, “I still don’t understand what happened to me. That has never happened before; I lost almost all control of my body. I felt everything that happened, and I was aware of what was going on… But I felt like…”

“You feel like you weren’t the one making the decisions in your own body. You would have just kept running,” Francis explained, using Alfred’s thoughts to finish the statement for the American.

Alfred nodded, “So… do you want to help me with my parents now… or…?”

Francis stretched, pondering the idea, “Well… I’d like a break first, and then I will get into it, how does that sound?”

Alfred smiled hopefully as he and Francis left the bedroom, smelling the scent of freshly cooked pancakes waft through the corridor. However, Francis couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, the more he thought about the mystery behind Alfred’s parents, the more anxious and concerned he became.

 


	13. Chapter 13

****

Despite the stress of the situation, the mood in the area felt very communal. Everyone sat around the area, taking up all seating at the main dining table and the kitchen counter, all eating pancakes that were made by Matthew, Feliciano and Lovino. Matthew smiled as he loaded everyone’s plates with fluffy pancakes, smiling as they thanked him.  Francis could feel the calm and communal atmosphere the second he walked in.

“How did it go with Alfred?” Matthew asked as he placed two pancakes onto Francis’ plate.

“It went fine, thank you,” Francis replied, “Now I think we can make a good judgment about what kind of people we are up against. The next step is to figure out how we can get out of here.”

“Do you think we can really do it?” Matthew asked.  

“I don’t know, but we can’t do it alone, we all have our own abilities that can be useful,” Francis explained before walking with Matthew to the table with their plates of pancakes.

Francis sat down next to Matthew and Arthur at the main table, where everyone was calmly eating their breakfast.

“So, how did it go? What do you think we should do?” Yao asked as Francis took his first bite.

“We’re up against something bigger than we anticipated,” Francis began, feeling everyone’s eyes fall onto him as silence fell among the group. “I wouldn’t be shocked if they knew everything about us, they’ve gotten connections within our lives that none of us would have thought of. They have a lot of firepower; they use tranquilizers instead of actual bullets, so I don’t think this is an extermination process.”

“They were collecting us…” Ludwig murmured.

“It looks like that. They’ve gone all over the world and have probably spent millions on this operation. This is bigger than any of us thought. I’ve seen how many connections they established, they’ve seen things that should be classified to normal people and even illegal activity as well as government institutions.”

“Who came from a government institution?” Lovino asked, “What kind of institution?”  

“None of your business,” Arthur snapped, only for Feliciano and Lovino to glance at each other and nod: that certainly answered their question.

Francis continued, “This has probably been years in the making, with how much funding and coordination they obviously have. I wouldn’t be shocked if they have every room bugged… They’re watching us, so we need to be careful.”

Suddenly, Francis heard a thought in English; sensing that someone was purposely translating their thoughts with the intention of Francis hearing. It was coming from Kiku.

_‘So we should not speak so openly about escape?’_

Francis shook his head slowly, staring at Kiku; Kiku nodded: getting the message.  “We should be careful about what we talk about; we don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea…”

“Is it any clearer to _why_ we’re here?” Ivan asked.

“I’m not much closer to figuring out why we were taken,” Francis admitted, “those of us they _have_ spoken to keep giving us inconsistent reasons. And the reasons they’ve given do not match with what is going on here.”

“If they were going to help us, we would have seen something by now…” Matthew grumbled.

“But what if it just hasn’t happened yet, how long have we been here, anyway?” Gilbert asked.

“Oh God, what if someone gets Cabin Fever?” Alfred shuddered, “How long can we last in here before someone goes nuts?”    

“What’s Cabin Fever?” Ivan whispered.

“It’s when someone goes crazy after being in a certain place for too long, however, that’s the Hollywood perception of it,” Arthur explained crossing his legs as he slumped back into his chair, Ivan nodded as Arthur spoke: genuinely wanting to understand, “Cabin Fever can also be just irritability, but I can see it being developed into madness.”    

“None of us would get to that, right…?” Ivan asked.

“I don’t think so,” Francis pointed out, “We’ve all managed stressful situations before.”

“But, anything like this?” Gilbert asked, “I bet they’re watching us right now…”

“Don’t say stuff like that…” Ludwig grumbled.

“We haven’t been here too long, right?” Matthew asked, “This is our second meal together, I’d say it’s probably been around a day or a day and a bit.”

“I wonder how long we slept before we woke up here, I don’t remember the trip here at all,” Arthur pointed out.

“None of us do,” Francis pointed out, sighing as he finished his plate.

Within a couple of minutes, the group had disbanded ; Lovino, Yao and Ivan had left the area, Feliciano, Ludwig and Matthew were in the kitchen cleaning the dishes, Arthur, Kiku and Gilbert returned to the couches, whilst Alfred and Francis sat back down at the table.

“Are you ok with doing this here?” Alfred asked, as Francis took a sip of water.

“It will be fine; I don’t think I’ll talk much…” Francis explained, “We can move if you want.”

“Nah, we’re fine here,” Alfred replied, “Will this be just like before?”

Francis sighed, debating whether to be honest with the American, “I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.”

Despite the situation, Alfred was thankful for Francis’ honesty, “Ok…  I just… I want to know why they left me. You know? I’m their kid, why did they leave me? I really appreciate you doing this, this is the only shot I’ll ever get, so, do whatever you need to do. Should I … close my eyes?”

Alfred closed his eyes after Francis nodded. Francis shut off every noise around him and focused solely on Alfred, feeling the rest of the world becoming nothing but a blur to the Frenchman. He was going to allow himself to go deeper than he has ever allowed himself. He was going to walk through Alfred’s subconscious and search for particular memories: something that he’s always been too scared to do without restraint.

Judging by how old the memories are: Francis knew that he was going to have to try his best to control himself: despite the fact that he was giving in to his worst desires to explore the mind of someone else. Francis knew that he had to be careful; otherwise Alfred could get hurt or forget even more. When Francis opened his eyes, they were glowing white, as he had begun the process.

Meanwhile, Feliciano, Ludwig and Matthew were standing in the kitchen, far enough to be outside of Francis’ range. Ludwig was washing dishes in the sink and Feliciano was supposed to be drying them, except he was too busy talking to Matthew.

“It’s fine, you did most of the cooking so you should go and relax!” Feliciano chirped.

“It’s really ok, I don’t have much to do anyway,” Matthew admitted. “I can help.”

“I should get Gilbert to come and help…” Ludwig grumbled.

“No, it’s really ok!” Matthew replied.

“Do you have any siblings?” Feliciano asked as he began wiping a wet plate.

“No.” Matthew replied, before chuckling softly, “I wouldn’t be shocked if I did someday.”

“Why’s that?” Ludwig asked.

“Well… when mom had me; she was young and unmarried,” Matthew admitted, “Now that she’s married, and still kinda young, I wouldn’t be surprised if she ‘tried again’ I guess.”   

“Oh,” Feliciano murmured, “So I guess that she didn’t take well to your powers?”

“No,” Matthew chuckled, “She was just scared of me after finding out, but I can see why. What about you two?”

“Gilbert and I were kicked out the second they found out,” Ludwig admitted.

“Oh, I’m so sorry…” Matthew murmured.

“I don’t know how my parents felt about it, Lovi and I lived with our grandpa, and he loved us,” Feliciano admitted, “We were lucky to have him. Even now, I’d be a mess without Lovi here.”

“I know,” Ludwig agreed, frowning as he stared down into the sink, “We’re both lucky to have siblings here with us.”

“What would you do if we got out of here?” Feliciano asked Matthew, his eyes wide with curiosity. He knows for certain that if the group were to be freed, he and Lovino would stick together, as would Gilbert and Ludwig, but what about those who are alone?  

“I… I really don’t know,” Matthew admitted, “I haven’t thought much about it. We all wouldn’t split up, right?”

“Surely not…” Ludwig replied, “Perhaps we should bring that up with the others…”

“We’d all be alone if we didn’t,” Feliciano pointed out, “We should all stick together, no matter what happens to us here. We should all look after each other.”

Matthew nodded, before hearing a tapping noise. Matthew looked back to the table where Francis and Alfred sat, seeing that the entire table and surrounding chairs had begun to tremble, whilst Alfred and Francis sat as still as statues.

“Hey… Should we…?” Matthew murmured, pointing out the disturbance to Ludwig and Feliciano, who frowned when they noticed it. “Should we ask?”

Matthew frowned as he stared at Francis’ white glowing eyes, wondering whether something was wrong, Francis twitched as he frowned. Suddenly the table jolted, making a loud noise as it scraped along the ground, catching everyone’s attention. Arthur looked over from the couch and frowned.

“Alfred mentioned this; Francis is looking for memories about his parents,” Arthur explained as he rose from his place on the couch, Gilbert and Kiku watched nervously as Arthur walked around the couch. “If it gets any worse, we should—“

Arthur was interrupted when Francis and Alfred shuddered, and Alfred’s eyes finally opened. Arthur gasped when he saw that Alfred’s eyes were glowing, and Alfred’s frown looked terrifying to the Englishman, he had a terrible feeling about this.

Alfred leaned forward and grumbled in a deeper voice, _“Leave Us Alone…”_

Suddenly, Alfred rose to his feet and swiped his arm and Francis was thrown against the wall, his entire body being held against the wall.

“HEY!” Arthur roared as he attempted to run to Alfred, only to be thrown against the wall beside Francis, being held in place. Feliciano dashed past the counter and attempted to run at Alfred, but before he could get close enough, he, Ludwig, Matthew, Kiku and Gilbert were thrown against the wall, all lifted off of the floor.

“SHIT!!” Ludwig snapped, trying to fight against the hold of Alfred’s telekinesis, but failed to even lift his arm from the wall.

“ALFRED!” Kiku cried, “Alfred! WAKE UP!”

Alfred did not respond, but stared forward blankly and his body became limp, standing as though he was being held up by strings to his shoulders.

Arthur was the closest, and he could see that there were no signs of consciousness from what he could see on Alfred’s face. Arthur looked over to Francis, to see that the Frenchman’s eyes were closed and he had gone limp; has he been knocked out?

“Put us down, Alfred!!” Arthur barked, attempting to grab Alfred’s attention, “PUT US DOWN!! LOOK AT ME! OI!! ARE YOU THERE?!”

“WAKE UP!! THIS HURTS!!” Feliciano cried.

“ALFRED!” Ludwig snapped.

Despite the calls of everyone around him, Alfred still stood still, as though he couldn’t hear them.

“I think I have an idea!” Gilbert announced.

Ludwig’s eyes widened when he figured out what Gilbert was thinking, “Wait—“

Gilberts body dissolved into a black smoke before disappearing entirely, before appearing in the centre of the room, a couple of meters from where he was trapped.

“Alfred!!” Gilbert cried as he ran to Alfred and placed his hands on the Americans shoulders and shook him lightly, instantly; Alfred blinked and his eyes returned to normal, and he looked terrified. Finally, everyone was released and fell to the floor, Francis gasped as he woke up.

“Oh my God,” Alfred whimpered, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that!!”

“Francis, are you ok?” Arthur asked as he kneeled beside the Frenchman, helping him back onto his feet.

Francis shuddered as he looked to Alfred; his eyes were wide and frantic, like he was struggling to think. “Alfred! Let me back in!”

“Oh God,” Arthur groaned as Ludwig helped him move Francis away, “separate them, they need time!”            

“No! Let me back!!” Francis cried as Ludwig started to lead him out of the area, as Arthur and Gilbert stood around Alfred, just in case. “Alfred! Your parents didn’t leave you! They loved you! They loved you so much! I don’t believe they would have left you! They didn’t leave you!! Something happened!!”

“What…?” Alfred gasped as he stepped forward, only for Arthur to place his hand on Alfred’s shoulder, keeping him from chasing the Frenchman.

“I saw them!!” Francis snapped as he pulled against the doorframe as Ludwig escorted him out, trying his best to refrain from carrying the Frenchman out forcefully. Despite Francis being taken out of the area, Alfred shivered when he heard Francis cry, “THEY LOVED YOU!”

 


	14. Chapter 14

Arthur could see Ludwig standing in the hallway, blocking the way into Arthur and Francis’ room, standing guard.

Francis’ voice still echoed through his head, him crying out about how Alfred’s parents loved him, and wouldn’t have abandoned him. While the shocked look on Alfred’s face reflecting the shock of the realisation. Arthur couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“I need to get a jacket,” Arthur explained as Ludwig stepped aside, letting Arthur reach for the door, “How has he been?”

“He’s quieter now, before he was begging me to let him out and continue. I don’t like what this has done, how’s Alfred?” Ludwig asked.

“He’s fine, he doesn’t seem effected at all. He’s just concerned about his parents now. Poor lad, now that he knows that they didn’t leave him, he’s been really depressed.” Arthur pointed out, “Neither of them are going to let this go, I’m afraid.”

“Hm…” Ludwig murmured as Arthur opened the door and entered the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Francis was lying on the bed with his legs crossed over and his hands behind his head, he looked perfectly at peace, before lifting his head to look at Arthur as he entered. Francis had returned to normal, he no longer had the look of panic on his face, he was no longer scrambling to get back into Alfred’s head, he wasn’t speaking or panicking.

“Glad to see that you’re looking better,” Arthur admitted.

“Mm…” Francis agreed, resting his head back down onto the pillow, “I’ve calmed down. I’ve never been so far into someone’s head before; naturally I’d lose my composure. How is Alfred?”

“Shaken,” Arthur admitted.

“I understand that. He used to believe that his parents abandoned him; he had so much repressed anger and abandonment issues… Only to learn that they loved him and wouldn’t have abandoned him. It would have been shocking for him.” Francis explained, “I think I will end up doing it again.”

Arthur frowned, he knew that Francis and Alfred would want to continued, Alfred is desperate to know exactly what happened to his parents.

“You know why,” Francis pointed out, “You understand why, and I know that you wouldn’t prevent it.”

“Heh, of course you know,” Arthur spat as he pulled open his white set of drawers, determined to find a black fleece jacket that he had seen earlier. “What if we did it in safe conditions? Like, if we have Feliciano and Lovino standing near you two, so if something went wrong: they can separate you?”

“That sounds like it can work, were there any signs of something going wrong before Alfred snapped?” Francis asked.

“Furniture shook? Have you not seen the memory yet?” Arthur asked.

“I was distracted, and I couldn’t read Ludwig’s mind through the door,” Francis pointed out as he sat upward, looking at Arthur, intentionally looking for the memory, Arthur assisted by thinking about it. Francis was silent for a few moments, his eyes closed as he breathed slowly, before opening his eyes. “Ok. I understand, that was a sign.”

“Do you know why Alfred said ‘leave us alone’?” Arthur asked.

“I don’t know.” Francis murmured, “I didn’t notice anything wrong, there is no second entity within Alfred. Maybe it’s his conscious protecting the repressed memories, but there’s no monster inside of him like he seems to believe: it’s only him and whatever issues he has.”

“So, the lack of control?” Arthur asked.

“Just a simple lack of control, although, it could be his subconscious acting up.” Francis explained, “I wasn’t inside of his head long enough to understand why. Perhaps it’s another question I can answer.”

“Well, if you’re going to do it again, Gilbert will need to be there, he can escape Alfred’s hold,” Arthur explained.

“Most of us should be there,” Francis agreed, “If you’re the one to propose this to the others, they should listen. If Alfred or I said it, they would be concerned that we’re going to cause damage again.”

“Fine,” Arthur agreed, taking the soft fleece black jacket out of the drawers, “It is fucking freaky how they picked clothes that I would wear…”

“See, they know you.” Francis agreed, “They’ve taken things from our homes, and provided things to the ones who don’t have homes.”

“I’m not the only one who didn’t have belongings?” Arthur asked.

“Well. You had the least out of everyone,” Francis admitted. Francis suddenly looked to Arthur’s face, seeing the Englishman’s reaction and the pain on his face. Arthur was thinking about it again, the negative thoughts came back immediately as he thought about the situation he was in, and how he had gotten there. Arthur bitterly glanced towards the white tattered straight-jacket sitting on his bed, he hated that jacket with all of his power, but yet… it was the only thing that could control him while he slept. It stopped him from burning everything to the ground… again…

“Arthur,” Francis said, catching Arthur’s attention. Francis stared at him with concerned eyes, wishing that he could say everything to Arthur that he wanted to say. He wanted to run over to him and shake him and tell him that none of it was his fault. It was not Arthur’s fault. He couldn’t control it, or prevent it, no matter what. Arthur did not mean to burn his house down, or take his family down with it, it was an accident, and Arthur’s charges were ignorant of Arthur’s reality. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Arthur frowned, knowing what Francis was talking about, “I may not have been able to control it, or stop it, but it happened because of me, and nothing can change that fact. I ruined my life and ended theirs.”

“Fine, I can see why you think that way, and it’s a sensitive subject. I know you’re not in the mood for it right now, but if you ever want to talk, please consider me as an option. Ok?” Francis asked. Relieved to hear Arthur’s thoughts, considering it. Arthur just simply nodded, knowing that Francis already knew his answer. _I will if I need it._  

It was nice to know that Arthur appreciated the offer; he wasn’t as cold as he liked to appear.

“I’ll tell Ludwig to let you out, you can come whenever you like,” Arthur explained as he started to walk out, wearing the fleece black jacket he came in to retrieve. “I’ll start talking to the others about the plan. Hopefully more of them are open to the idea.”

_____________

Outside, Matthew sat with Alfred on the couch, watching with worry as the Americans head fell into his hands. Matthew was no mind reader, but he could tell that Alfred was struggling to keep himself together.

“Hey, it’ll be ok,” Matthew promised, trying his best to at least show Alfred some support, he hated this; no one knew what to do. Matthew glanced back at Yao, who was watching from behind the couch with the same degree of concern.

“I… I just…” Alfred whimpered, looking up at Matthew, revealing the pain in his sky blue eyes. “I spent so long believing that they left me, I was so angry with them…”

“But how were you going to know?” Matthew asked, rubbing his hand on Alfred’s shoulder, “You don’t remember anything; you came to a conclusion, but at least you know the truth.”

“But I still don’t know exactly what happened to them. I want Francis to do that again and find out what happened,” Alfred admitted.

Matthew glanced back at Yao to see his expression change before he walked away, leaving the American and the Canadian alone by the couches. Matthew looked over the couch to see few people in the kitchen and dining table. Yao pulled out a chair and sat beside Gilbert, who was speaking with Kiku and Feliciano, while Lovino was in the kitchen getting water.

“I get that,” Matthew agreed, “But maybe we should be more careful this time. Feliciano’s back really hurt after you threw him.”

“Oh fuck, I feel so bad about that, I’ve apologised like a hundred times! I still can’t believe that happened; I’ve never lost control of my powers like that until I got captured!” Alfred hissed before grumbling deeply, “But, you get why I want to do this, I need to know what happened to them.”

“Yeah, I do, but could it be dangerous?” Matthew asked.

“I know… But it’s the only option I have…” Alfred sighed.

“Francis is fine now,” Arthur announced as he entered the area, his arms crossed his arms over his chest. “However, I feel like there is something that needs to be addressed, and I think everyone should have a say in it.”  

“He wants to do it again?” Kiku asked.

Arthur nodded before looking at Alfred, Arthurs eyes narrowed as he smiled softly, “I know you do, and I understand why, so we should work out a safe way to do it.”

Francis walked past Arthur and walked towards the kitchen, staring at Alfred; making sure that Alfred was out of his mind-reading range.

“I’ll get the others,” Lovino murmured before walking out of the area, choosing to not use his powers for the task.

“I really want to know what happened to my parents,” Alfred pointed out, sitting on his knees as he turned around on the couch, as though already trying to plead his case. “This is the only shot I’ll ever had to find out what happened to them! Please!”

“But it’s dangerous,” Ludwig pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest, “Alfred, we understand why you want to do it, but something should be different this time.”

“Which is exactly what we are going to discuss,” Arthur pointed out, as Ludwig walked past him, eventually being followed by Ivan and Lovino, “We could all work together to make it safer for everyone. Is everyone here now?” Arthur paused to look around, silently counting heads before continuing. “What happened was scary; it showed that Alfred can lose control of his abilities. However, we cannot expect him to ignore the fact that he has a chance to find out what happened to his parents. We would all want to find out if we were in his position, so we shouldn’t stop him.”

“I agree,” Feliciano agreed, before looking at Alfred, “You do deserve to know.”

“What I suggest we do is set ourselves up so that Alfred and Francis can be separated before something bad happens again,” Arthur explained, before looking to Feliciano and Lovino. “I think Feliciano and Lovino would be able to do that well. And Gilbert, if something does go wrong, you can break out of Alfred’s grip.”

“That does sound like a smart idea,” Gilbert shrugged, “I’m willing to do it.”

“And he did break out rather easily,” Kiku pointed out, “If something goes wrong, Alfred can easily wake up.”

“I—“ Feliciano sighed; however, he still smiled when he looked to Alfred, “Just go easy on me this time, Hm?”

“We should all be here this time,” Yao pointed out, “Just in case if something does go wrong, we can all have a chance to help.”

“I don’t mind it, anything to let me have this chance,” Alfred admitted, “I don’t care.”

“I don’t mind either, I can focus with people around,” Francis explained. “There is the risk that I will go too far in again and cause Alfred to snap. But there is also the chance that I wouldn’t need to go deeper into his head again. I was so close, I saw his parents, and I’ve found the memory: I just need to see what else it can offer.”

“Alright. Then we should stick with this plan,” Arthur exclaimed, clapping his hands together, before looking to Francis, “Do you need more time before you can go again?”

“Non,” Francis pointed out as he shoved his hand into his pants pockets. “I can do it right now if there are no objections.”

“Nothing else is going to happen around here, so we may as well do this now,” Matthew pointed out, “What else are we going to do around here?”

“He has a good point,” Ivan shrugged. As Ludwig grabbed two chairs and effortlessly carried them to the centre of the room as everyone spread out, whilst Francis and Alfred walked towards the chairs.

“Are you sure about this?” Alfred asked.

“I will be fine,” Francis replied as he and Alfred sat opposite of each other, whilst Lovino stood far behind Francis, and Feliciano stood behind Alfred.

Alfred closed his eyes as Francis’ began to glow; the room went quiet as everyone watched nervously. Matthew couldn’t help but feel worried; he knew that Alfred deserved the chance to know, but yet he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“This is going to be fine, we all know what to do, we’re ready this time…” Arthur murmured, feeling the anxiety of everyone else in the room.

“Besides, we can give Francis the benefit of the doubt, he said that he doesn’t need to intrude too far this time,” Gilbert pointed out. “He’s good at what he does; this is just unfamiliar territory for him.”

“I don’t think talking is helping them right now,” Ludwig murmured.

“Well, we can’t just stand around and wait, can we? That’s boring,” Lovino grumbled.

“What do we do after this?” Feliciano asked, “Should we focus on finding a way out?” Kiku caught Feliciano’s eye by shaking his head, before pressing his index finger against his lip, “Oh, aren’t we talking about that?”

Ludwig immediately changed the subject, “We should talk about whether we are going to stick together.”

“That’s right! We should stay as a group, no matter what happens. We could be strong if we work together,” Matthew agreed.

“I like the sound of that,” Yao agreed, “It makes sense.”

Suddenly, Alfred jolted slightly, Feliciano braced himself to run, however, he stopped after Arthur lifted his arm. “Wait, I think it was just a reaction. Is any furniture moving?”

Before his question was answered, Francis winced; his head lowering as his hands tightened into fists. He grumbled something in French as he rotated his head.

All eyes turned to Matthew, who lifted his hands in defence, “Sorry, I don’t know French.”

“But you’re Canadian!” Yao pointed out.

“I’m from _Toronto!”_ Matthew hissed, “I know a bit, yes, but I barely heard Francis, let alone can translate!”

“I don’t think it matters right now,” Ivan pointed out, pointing his finger to the table, which had begun to tremble, Alfred was acting up.

“Give them some more time! Otherwise we will need to do this all over again,” Arthur pointed out.

“But how long though? Did Alfred give any warning last time?” Lovino asked, bracing himself, getting ready to run.

“His eyes opened and they were glowing, that’s the signal we should wait for,” Arthur pointed out, silently hoping that he was correct. He wanted to give Alfred and Francis all of the time they needed to do this. “Just give them time…”

“Arthur…” Ivan murmured, pointing out the table; which was trembling enough to make noise as the wooden legs of the table scraped on the white flooring.

 _“Let them do this!”_ Arthur hissed. As he spoke, Alfred made a pained face, as though something stung, and he breathed heavily as he leaned forward, as though struggling to breathe.

“Do it, now!” Ludwig ordered, taking control of the situation from Arthur, who stared at the American and the Frenchman in silence, not sure of what to do.

Within seconds, Feliciano and Lovino had run to the American and the Frenchman, grabbing hold of the backs of their chairs in order to pull them away, however, the chairs wouldn’t move, “It’s Alfred!” Lovino cried, struggling to even slightly move Francis’ chair, “He’s holding it!!”

Suddenly, Alfred screamed, crying, as the room began to shake, like an earthquake had hit. Arthur gasped as a second of the ceiling fell to the floor beside where Kiku stood.

Alfred must have found out something he didn’t like.

“NO!! NO!!” Alfred screamed as every piece of furniture in the room was lifted off of the floor, before slamming back down, the table had completely split in half from the force. _“NO!!!”_

The room shook with more intensity and the lights flickered and everyone was sent to the floor and Alfred screamed again as the room was plunged into darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

“Oh honey, you’re a handsome boy, aren’t ya? You’re mommy’s little man…” A woman asked: her voice so sweet it sent a tingle down Alfred’s spine. It was familiar, and warm like a hug… Alfred could feel nothing but motherly love and affection radiate from her, “Come give mommy a hug, aww; you’re so cute~ you look just like your daddy.”

“Hey Darl’ and hello Alfie! How’s your day been little buddy? That’s a big bear you got there.” A man said: his voice was loud but welcoming; he sounded happy to see them: he was the father. However, his voice quietened as he focussed on the mother “… How is he?”

“Not much has happened today. But… He wanted his bear, and it flew from one end of the room to his arms,” The mother explained, she sounded worried, but she still sounded happy. She was still unnerved by these events, but she loved her son too much to let it scare her. “I just… I don’t know what to do. Do you think something is wrong?”

“Well, the doctor says he’s perfectly healthy, the medium says that she can’t sense any presence, and he’s a happy boy … I don’t think there’s anything else we can do, other than…”

“NO!” the mother snapped, “We are not putting him anywhere, he’s our son!”

“I know, I know. Baby, it’s ok,” He cautioned, “Our little boy isn’t going anywhere, they’d have to kill me for him.”

“I just… I don’t know how we can help him. It’s happening more and more often, what if it becomes dangerous?”

“It can’t, can it?” He asked, “Sure, it’s a little weird, but that’s what just makes him special…”

“Why him, why our Alfred? What did we do?” Alfred could hear them breathe deeply as they hugged.

“No, this isn’t anyone’s fault, he is our son and he is perfect the way he is. There is nothing wrong with him and we love him regardless. If we show him this, there will be no reason for him to lose control. Heh, he could be a hero.”

“Hey! I’m not letting our boy run around in a cape after his twelve!” The woman hissed as the man laughed.

Alfred felt them focus on him again, and then he felt their warmth come from both sides, surrounding him and holding him tightly, “We love you, Alfred.”

“We love you so much…”

\------

A loud ringing noise rang through Kiku’s head as the dust settled around the room; he wasn’t sure of how bad the damage was. He opened his eyes and gasped when he only saw darkness. However, he quickly realised that he wasn’t alone as he heard the pained grumbles and groans of the others.

Suddenly, the room lit up with a golden glow, coming from Arthur’s arms. The Englishman stood near where Kiku laid, his arms offering an alternative light source.

The area had been completely destroyed by the collapsed ceiling, even a huge hole in the ceiling revealed the air-vent. Pieces off the roof were spread all over the room, and a blanket of dust covered nearly every surface. Even the walls had been broken, large cracks littered the walls, and pieces of destroyed furniture lay all around the room.

Everyone other than Arthur was laying on the floor, all covered in a blanket of dust; however, it did not look like anyone had been hurt.

“Is everyone ok?” Arthur asked, holding his arms out as he looked around, spreading his light throughout the room.

“What the fuck was that?” Gilbert hissed as he rose to his hands and knees, looking up at Arthur.

“Do I look like I know?!” Arthur asked, “Where are Alfred and Francis?”

“Over here!” Feliciano cried, drawing attention to the other side of the room, where he and Ludwig looked over Alfred, where he laid perfectly still, looking at though he were peacefully sleeping, not even the dust had touched him. “He’s not waking up!”

“Neither is Francis!” Lovino pointed out, shaking the Frenchman as he laid, parallel to and as untouched as Alfred. “I think something’s wrong!”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” Gilbert hissed as he stumbled onto his feet, before being quickly followed by Ludwig.

“Is anyone hurt?” Ludwig asked.

 _“Urhh!”_ Yao growled as a section of the fallen ceiling was pushed over; revealing Yao underneath, covered in the thick blanket of dust, coughing and he crawled away, before being helped to his feet by Ivan. “I’m fine.”

“I…” Arthur murmured, dropping his head slightly, “I’m sorry, I should have said something sooner.”

“I don’t think it would have made a difference,” Lovino pointed out, “We couldn’t pull them apart, Alfred must have been holding the chairs in place. Even if you did call us earlier, it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

“Now we should focus on what we’re going to do now, is it just me, or does that vent look strong enough to hold us…?” Ivan asked, lifting his arm to point out the air conditioning vent that hung from the ceiling, offering a perfect opportunity to escape. Everyone stared at the vent in silence as they slowly circled it, the possibility becoming clearer and clearer…

“Could we…?” Feliciano asked.

Ludwig was the one to touch it first, pulling on the air vent to test it. “I think we can.”

“Lift me, I can check it,” Feliciano offered as he rested his hand on Ludwig’s shoulder as he lifted one knee. Ludwig nodded as he placed his hand under Feliciano’s foot, letting the Italian lift himself onto Ludwig’s hand. Ludwig lifted him perfectly, raising his arm to lift Feliciano into the vent; Feliciano wobbled a little and placed his hand on Ludwig’s head for support as he looked around inside the vent. “It looks good! We could fit!! It’s really wide in here!”

“Big enough for us all to fit?” Ivan asked.

“But what about Francis and Alfred?” Matthew asked, pointing to where the two laid, “We have to take them with us!”

“He’s right,” Ludwig agreed, as he lowed Feliciano out of the vent, letting him back onto the floor, “We’re all in this together, we can’t leave them behind.”

“We’re all a group…” Kiku murmured, warming up to the idea, he was worried about Alfred and Francis’ situation. What would happen to them if the group were to leave them behind?

Ludwig continued, “I can carry one. Alfred’s taller than Francis, so he probably weighs more, so I’ll take him.”

“Ivan?” Arthur asked, looking to who he presumed would be the second strongest in the group after Ludwig. The Russian however, tensed.

“I might hurt him!” Ivan pointed out, “If I hold onto him for too long, I might hurt him!”

“What? How?” Lovino asked.

Ivan crossed his arms over his chest as he struggled to find a way to explain it, “you know when you hold onto an ice cube for too long, and it starts to sting really, really bad? I am that ice cube, and I’ll be the one holding Francis. I’ve never had to hold onto for someone so long before.” Ivan explained, before looking at his gloved hands, pondering over how long it may take his coldness to break through the leather before it can hurt Francis, “I’ll do it. But, I might need to swap with someone.”

“That’s fine,” Arthur pointed out, “We should go right now, there’s no time to waste.”

“He’s right, they’re probably preparing to come in right now,” Kiku agreed.

“Alright, I’ll get everyone up,” Ludwig explained before looking around the room, “Who first?”

After that, Ludwig hoisted everyone out of the area and into the air conditioning vent, lifting Arthur, then Feliciano, Lovino, Kiku, Gilbert, Matthew, Yao, Ivan. Then Ludwig lifted Francis over his shoulder and lifted him above his head, letting Ivan grab hold of the Frenchman’s limp body, and drag him into the air conditioning vent. Ludwig waited nervously as Ivan pushed Francis further into the vent, before instructing Ludwig to hoist Alfred up. Ivan dragged Alfred into the vent as he did with Francis, and made enough room for Ludwig to hoist himself into the vent, fitting into the space much easier than he expected. The vent was sturdier than anyone expected, and as they travelled further down the vent, the darker it became.

“Arthur?” Feliciano’s soft voice asked, breaking the silence in the group, the Italian sounded scared, “can you make a light, please?”

“Arthur, _do not_ make a light, we don’t want a fire!” Lovino snapped.

Despite Lovino’s protest, Arthur created a flame; however, he revealed an ability that no one had seen before. Instead of his who forearm being engulfed in flames, only his hand radiated the warmth and light of a flame, illuminating the vent.

“Better?” The Englishman asked.

“You have to admit,” Kiku began, looking at Lovino, “It’s better than the dark.”

“How are Francis and Alfred?” Gilbert asked, looking back towards Ludwig and Ivan, who were dragging the two limp bodies of Alfred and Francis.

“Nothing has come from them,” Ivan pointed out.

“But they’re still breathing,” Ludwig added.

“Hey, do you think they’ve noticed we’re gone yet?” Matthew asked.

“Probably, which means that we’d need to get out soon…” Yao sighed.

Matthew watched Gilbert’s eyes narrow with thought, before he leant down and pressed his ear against the bottom of the vent, before lightly tapping on it with his knuckle. The noise echoed through the vent and caught everyone’s attention.

“I think it’s hollow outside, I can go down and check,” Gilbert pointed out.

“No, you’re not!” Ludwig snapped.

“What if I don’t go alone?” Gilbert asked.

“I’m coming then,” Ludwig began.

“Not you, you’re too far away, and you need to drag Alfred. Besides, if we need to, you can break the metal,” Gilbert explained, “I’ll check if it’s safe. I’m getting claustrophobic in here, real bad.”

“I’ll come with you, then,” Matthew proposed.

“I don’t think I like this, what if it’s a far drop down?” Yao asked.

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take, anything to get us out of here,” Gilbert explained before looking back to Matthew, before extending his hand to the Canadian, “are you with me?”

Matthew thought for a moment, before remembering that he had nothing else to lose, so he took Gilberts hand and let the German hold him tightly. Suddenly, Matthew drew out a breath and felt the air blow through his body, like the air in his chest just expanded out of him. He saw nothing but darkness, before his squinted to the power of a bright light as the feeling of being _solid_ returned to his body. Until he felt the pain of landing on his back on a hard surface.

 _“Owww…”_ He groaned, as Gilbert rose to his feet, before helping the Canadian up.

“Are you ok?” Gilbert asked as he and Matthew finally started to look at where they landed. In a hallway. With white walls and red carpet. Doors lined the walls, and the closest one they saw revealed a private office. “This must be where work gets done…”

“But where are the workers…?” Matthew asked.

Suddenly, Gilbert and Matthew heard a _thud,_ coming from above them, reminding them of where they came from. Matthew ran into the office and snatched the desk chair before wheeling it into the hallway, before positioning it under where they guessed the others were. Gilbert stood on the chair as Matthew held it still and started to bang his fist on the ceiling.

“SAFE!” Gilbert yelled. “GET DOWN HERE!”

Suddenly, a sharp blade poked through the ceiling, the surprise forcing Gilbert off the chair in surprise. The blade pulled itself back into the ceiling, before poking back through, creating a hole near the other one. Kiku must be behind this. Kiku’s blades worked like a saw, cutting different holes into the ceiling, making a line of weakness within the structure, until a full fist punched its way through the wall, and Ludwig nearly fell from the hole he created in the ceiling.

“Are you ok?” Ludwig asked, before he used his hands to push away more of the ceiling, creating a bigger hole, stopping when it was large enough for everyone to fit through. Feliciano fell through first, landing perfectly on his feet. After him, more and more people followed, and the group was reunited in the hallway.

With Alfred and Francis still unconscious on the floor, the group could only wonder now what situation they had put themselves in. Despite the anxiety of facing the unknown, they still knew that they had power as a group.

\------------

“Alfred,” Francis hissed, “Alfred, please! Wake up!”

Suddenly, Alfred was pulled from his dream, widening his eyes to see that he and Francis were standing in a completely white space, there were no walls, no flooring, nothing, just white.

The image of Francis standing in front of him became clearer and clearer as he started to focus more, “Are you awake now, can you hear me?”

“Where are we? Where are the others?” Alfred asked, trying to look around for a sign of anything, but there was nothing for as wide as his eyes could see.

“I…” Francis murmured, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this before. I… I can’t get us out.”

 _“What?”_ Alfred asked.

“What do you want me to do!? I’ve never done this before!” Francis hissed.

“Dude, no way are we stuck here! Where the fuck are we?!” Alfred asked.

 _“I think we’re in your head!”_ Francis snapped. “We’re not in the real world anymore! I was looking for your memory, and suddenly the next thing I knew I…” Francis sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair as he recollected, “I… I was pulled in, I couldn’t get out… I… We’re stuck.”

“I… This is my fault?” Alfred asked.

“Not necessarily…” Francis sighed.

“No way, we’ve gotta get out of here,” Alfred said as he ran past Francis, “There’s gotta be a way out!! We have to join the others!”

Francis sighed as he broke into a run, following the American further and further into the white distance, silently horrified over the situation he found himself in. He has never been in a situation like this before, and he didn't know whether there was a way that they _could_ escape. However, he wasn't going to crush the Americans hopes so quickly, he had to at least give the young man a chance. Perhaps the minder has underestimated the Americans power again: _he hoped._


	16. Chapter 16

“Alfred!” Francis cried, running after Alfred as he ran across the white landscape, with no end in sight. Francis knew that this was something that only Alfred could control, it is Alfred’s mind that they are locked in. Francis was not in control, which was a feeling that he was not used to. Alfred was far too gone, he was in a panic, trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Francis knew that they were trapped and he was the key to escaping. “Alfred, wait! Speak to me!”

“How do we get out of here?!” Alfred screamed, stopping to turn around and look at Francis, letting the Frenchman catch up. “We can’t be stuck here? Can we?”

This was unfamiliar territory, even for Francis. Not even their bodies worked the same, Francis noticed how despite running, he was not exhausted, he couldn’t even hear Alfred’s thoughts. He did not feel anything exterior, like hot or cold, there was no breeze or air movement, not even any changes in lighting. This was unlike anything that Francis has ever experienced before, and he was sad to say that he did not know how to fix the situation.

“I… I don’t know…” Francis sighed, “This is your head, I am powerless here.”

“Well, how am I supposed to fix it?” Alfred asked, raising his arms, “Fucking shit, I don’t even know what I’ve done.”

“Because you couldn’t control it,” Francis pointed out, “I don’t know what to do here.”

“Do you think we can get out…?” Alfred asked softly.

“I’m not ready to answer, I don’t know much,” Francis replied, “I really hope so.”

Alfred froze, his wide eyes staring at his feet. Francis frowned, struggling to understand what was going on, as Francis couldn’t hear his thoughts.

“All I wanted was to find out what happened to my parents…” Alfred whispered.

Suddenly, the space vibrated, and within the blink of Francis’ eye, the landscape had changed drastically. They were standing on the tanbark ground of a small playground. Outside of the boxed playground was a quiet street, like a neighbourhood, Francis knew immediately what this meant. He has seen it before, in the memory he recovered: where he saw Alfred’s parents. Alfred was standing with his back to the playground, that had a metal slide, where the coat of red paint had almost completely flaked off, monkey bars and a swing set, that were in the same pathetic state as the slide. 

However, Francis’ eyes widened when he saw a figure sitting on the swing set. A child stared at his small sneakers as he sat with his head down on one of the swings. Francis immediately knew who it was as Alfred turned around to look at the child, as the child himself rose his head to look at the two men. It was the child version of Alfred, he was small, perhaps five or six, despite his youth, his eyes were dark and he did not have glasses. Alfred was indeed a beautiful child, with sweet rosy cheeks and golden hair, and small lips. Francis does love children, but in this scenario, the presence terrified him. Alfred however, stared at the child, returning the same intense glare, like he was caught in a trance.

Francis couldn’t help but wonder, would this help them escape?

Suddenly, the child’s eyes widened as they glowed, and Francis felt something tight wrap around his ankles, and before he could even look down to see what was there, Francis was pulled to the floor and dragged back by his ankles.

“Alfred! _Alfred!!”_ Francis cried as he was dragged back, his stomach scraping against the tanbark as he desperately tried to free himself to no prevail, he could not get the invisible force to release his ankles. _“Alfred!! HELP!!”_

Alfred could not hear Francis, he only continued to stare at the child, unaware of what was happening to his friend. Completely unaware that Francis was being lifted from the ground completely by his ankles, screaming in terror as he watched the ground become further and further away from him, now he didn’t want the force to let go to him.

Alfred started to breathe heavily as he stared at the child, finally realising that this was the source of his pain, the source of his lost memories and the source of his lost control. He knows what happened to Alfred’s parents and had been hiding it from him for over ten years. He let Alfred believe that they abandoned him, he let Alfred _hate_ them for what he _believed_ they did. He let Alfred believe that his lack of control meant that a monster was living inside of him. He had Alfred believing that there was a second, malicious force living inside of him, and shared control over his powers. Not only had Alfred had been his own enemy for the entire time, it is the child version of himself, the child who was left inside of his memories, alone and afraid.

Tears bubbled up in the child’s eyes, like he knew that he had done something wrong, before screaming, “GO AWAY!!”

Francis screamed when he felt his ankles be released and he was dropped to the ground, however, before he could hit the ground and hurt himself, Alfred turned around and gestured his hand, making sure that Francis stopped before hitting the ground at a fast speed, before letting him drop safely.

“THIS IS MY HEAD TOO!” Alfred replied, “I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!! NOT UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO MOM AND DAD!”

 _“But you’ll hate me even more!!”_ The child sobbed.

Alfred sighed as he closed his eyes, he needs to confront this, “But I don’t hate you!”

“You say it all the time! You hate me!! You hate me for ruining your life!!” The child cried as he sobbed uncontrollably. With wide eyes and a quivering lip, Alfred slowly started to walk towards the child. Francis screamed when suddenly, the world beyond the tanbark caught on fire, boxing the three into the playground. _“You hate me for using your powers when you don’t ask for it, you hate me!! You told everyone that you hate me! You hate me for hiding memories from you! YOU HATE ME FOR TAKING MOM AND DAD AWAY!!”_

Alfred stood in front of the child, who continued to sob uncontrollably, as a small child would.

“I don’t hate you…” Alfred whispered. He began to understand what was going on… He knew that he had no choice but to forgive the child, because he could feel exactly what he was going through and why he did what he did. The child didn’t know any better. The only way he can move forward from this, is to forgive the child and let him back in, perhaps then his mind and powers will finally be at peace and Alfred can have the closure he had wanted for so long. “I’m sorry, I don’t want you to hate me either…”

The child finally opened his eyes and looked back up at Alfred, as though surprised.

“I loved mom and dad too, all I want is to know what happened,” Alfred explained, “I don’t hate you. I’m sorry for everything that I said…”

“But… but…” The child whimpered as Alfred dropped to one knee before the swing set.

“How about you and I work together from now on? Come back to me….” Alfred proposed.

“But you’ll be mad at me…” The child pointed out.

“I won’t, I promise. It’ll be ok. You’ve seen what I’m up against out there, I’m gonna need all the help I can get. That _we_ can get, you know what I’m saying?” Alfred asked as the child avoided his glare. “So what do you say?”

Before he spoke, the child stepped off of the swing and stepped into Alfred’s arms, holding him tightly, _“I’m really, really sorry.”_  

\-----

For as long as he could remember, the child knew that he was different, kids at preschool avoided him and he didn’t stay there for long. Before he stopped going all together. Mom said it was because he was different, but that does not mean that he should feel bad about it and that he should never feel bad for being different.

But, the child knew that his parents were worried, he knew that they cried and even argued over it when they thought he was asleep. While they celebrated his ‘uniqueness’, it still terrified them. He knew when he did something in front of them, it scared them, but he still didn’t know how to stop it. If he wanted something to move, it would. He had no impulse control.

But… he still knew that his parents loved him, they told him that every day and promised that they would for as long as they could. They were never going to let their child believe that he was something bad. No matter how badly his ability scared them.

Despite this, the child still felt anxious and uneasy when he felt the urge to use his abilities… He went through periods where it was difficult to _not_ use his power. He held this information from them, knowing that it would scare them.

The five-year-old stared out of the window, watching the other cars on the highway zoom past them. He was talking to his mom about how his birthday was coming soon, even his dad was talking to them from the driver’s seat.

But something changed the mood, the child couldn’t remember what it was about, but the conversation between his parents became tense. But one thing he did know was that it was about him… Oh… that’s right… they were talking about sending the child to school. What kind of school would be prepared to deal with a child like him if they didn’t even know what it was. Mom was fine with home-schooling, whereas dad was firmly against it, stating that his son deserved the best education he could get and he also didn’t want his boy to be isolated. Before the child knew it, it was an argument and they talked like they thought that the child couldn’t understand what was going on, not realising that their son was already crying. 

Then suddenly, the kid began to feel it. His heartrate rose as his breathing became deeper, his limbs went numb as his hands trembled. He could feel it building up inside of him and it needed to be released.

The child tried to tell them to pull over, but he couldn’t breathe, this was the worst one that he had experienced. His crying became worse as the urge turned to pain. He became dizzy as the world became a blur and a high-pitched ringing noise went through his ears. His parents finally noticed something was wrong when he started to scream, but it was far too late….

People would come to know what happened as one of the worst traffic accidents in Californian history. People blamed the mechanics of the vehicle or the driver for the sudden steering malfunction… the front of the car was obliterated killing the people in the front seats instantly. According to the police, it was a miracle that anyone survived the accident, let alone leave the wreckage with some minor cuts and bruises, let alone a child as small as Alfred…

\----

Alfred gasped as his eyes shot open, only to see Arthurs face as he stared down at him.

“OI! Alfred’s waking up!” Arthur said as he looked around.

“So is Francis!” Another voice pointed out.

“Hey… Are you ok?” Arthur asked as he helped Alfred from the floor. Alfred stumbled a little as he slowly began to process everything that had just happened. And the reality hit him like a brick, Alfred stumbled forward and wrapped his arms around Arthur, he just needed to hug someone or he was going to start crying. He wasn’t sure why, but something told the American that Arthur was the one who would understand what kind of pain he was going through more than anybody. “Wh…”

 _“They died…”_ Alfred whispered, feeling Arthur’s body tense at the news.

“Oh…” Arthur whispered, slowly lifting his arms to return Alfred’s hug, “I’m so sorry, lad… It’ll be ok…”

“Thanks…” Alfred sighed as he released Arthur, breathing heavily as he rubbed his eyes, knowing now that he could finally breathe calmly and heal from the pain of his past. He remembered it all now, he remembers his parents faces, he remembers the car crash that killed them, as well as everything that came after it. It was like the last piece of the puzzle has finally been put in place, and Alfred can work on moving forward from now on. However, he finally realised that the group was not in the same white space that they were in earlier, “Hang on, where are we?”

“You made a hole in the ceiling that was big enough for us to escape from,” Kiku pointed out, “we’re glad you’re back.”

“Wait, I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” Alfred asked.

“No, we’re all fine, now we just need to figure out how to escape from here,” Feliciano explained.

“With you and Francis awake, we should start moving, I say that we go down the hallway, maybe there’s a door,” Ludwig pointed out.

“It looks like an office, and it’s abandoned,” Yao explained as the group started walking down the hallway, passing every open door to the private offices, “But it hasn’t been for long, there’s no dust, perhaps they just evacuated.”

“Judging by what happened earlier, I wouldn’t be shocked if they evacuated here the moment Alfred lost it,” Lovino pointed out. “We weren’t in the vent for long. Imagine how quickly they would have had to act.”

“Imagine what they’ve be preparing for us now…” Ivan grimaced.

“I wouldn’t be shocked if they were waiting for us now,” Francis sighed, “Judging by how hard they worked to get us, I am scared to know what they are prepared to do to _keep us.”_

“Well, I will give them hell if they think they’re dragging me back in there!” Arthur hissed, “I will burn them all to hell…”

“I don’t dou—“Francis began before suddenly stopping, hearing a set of thoughts that did not belong to anyone in the group. Everyone silently watched as Francis stood before one of the offices, before turning his head and staring into the office, noticing two black shoes from underneath the table. Francis looked back to the group and pointed into the room, mouthing _‘SOMEONE IS IN THERE’._

Francis slowly walked into the office, with Arthur, Ivan and Yao following, however, when Ludwig stepped into the room, the noise of the door creaking as it opened startled the person under the desk, and a young man in a suit ran out from under the desk terrified of the people who crowded into the room.

“How do we get out? Do you speak English or French?” Francis asked, knowing that if he asked the right questions, the person may think something that would make Francis’ job easier, but it doesn’t help.

The man yelled something as he ran past the desk and tried to run past, but was stopped when Ivan pulled off his glove and grabbed the man by the wrist with his frostbitten hand. Ivan’s harsh, black fingers gripped around the man’s pale wrist, and instantly the cold had its desired impact.

 _“I am getting really tired of this…”_ Ivan growled as he pulled the man back to the desk, as the man wailed and screamed in pain. Ivan knew that it was the burning sensation that was making the man scream, it was the reason why Ivan wore gloves. His touch was so cold, it brought nothing but pain.

 While everyone had gathered inside the office, Feliciano and Lovino stood outside the office, Feliciano shivered as the man screamed.

“I say we run as fast as we can, as far as we can,” Lovino admitted, “How do you feel about that?”

“But, the others…” Feliciano murmured.

Lovino sighed, obviously, this was a hard decision for him to make as well, “But… we can help them as much as we can… but in the end, we need to get out of here, I do not want to know what these psychos are going to do to us if they capture us again.”

“But we can’t outrun everything, Lovi...” Feliciano pointed out, “You saw what they have. They shot us, they don’t need to chase us.”  

Lovino chuckled, “wow… and I’m usually the pessimist.”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t like the idea of splitting up from the others…” Feliciano sighed, “We are not cowards… You wouldn’t run without me, would you?”

“Of course not, but keeping you safe is my priority,” Lovino replied, “And if all hell breaks loose, you and I are the most likely ones to get out of it. At least, run with me to see if there is an exit, and then we can do what we can to help the others.”

“I like that...”

“But remember, we look after each other, over anybody else,” Lovino pointed out, extending his hand to Feliciano, and Feliciano shook it.

“What are you two doing out here?” Gilbert asked, sticking his head out from the office, interrupting the Italians.

“Nothing,” Lovino answered as he and Feliciano joined the others in the room, where Ivan’s frostbitten hand was still holding onto the man’s wrist, turning the skin around his wrist red as he screamed in pain.

“Ivan, he’s not going to help us, I can’t understand any of his thoughts and he isn’t letting me look at the memory I need. Being in pain isn’t going to help him,” Francis concluded, “Just let him go.”

Ivan grumbled something in Russian as he let the man go, where he immediately took his opportunity and ran out of the office.

“We should follow him,” Matthew pointed out softly, “He knows the way out.”

“The group walked out of the office, right when they heard a door slam loudly, meaning that their captive just showed them the way out. They ran past the last offices to see that there was a foyer at the end of the hallway, decorated with modern art on the walls and couches and even a small kitchen. And surely, there was a fire escape door and an elevator right next to it, but when Alfred went to open the fire escape door, “Locked.”

“Well, we shouldn’t bother,” Matthew sighed, clicking on the button to call the elevator. Within a couple of seconds, the door had opened to reveal a wide elevator, as everyone stepped in Arthur stood still with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Are you coming, Arthur?” Yao asked as he pressed his hand against the elevator door, keeping it open for the Englishman.

A sinister smile curved on Arthur’s lips, before he started to walk back towards the offices, chuckling darkly.

“What the hell is he—“ Alfred asked as he stepped out of the elevator, only to pause when he heard the roar of flames coming from the hallway they just came from, and the glowing light to match.

Suddenly, Arthur ran back into the foyer, his arms alight with powerful flames. With a smile like a mad-mans, Arthur ran around the foyer, lighting all that he could find on fire like a blow-torch. Nothing was left untouched by Arthur’s fire, and the smile on his face was concerning.

He set all that he could on fire, and before anyone knew it, the entire foyer was alight with powerful flames. Arthur ran around the room, coughing slightly at the smoke inhalation, lighting all that he could, and adding more flames onto ones that had begun to weaken. Everything became engulfed in flames, and no one in the group dared tell Arthur to stop.

When he was finally satisfied with the utter chaos that he had created, Arthur flipped the hood of his black jumper over his head as he extinguished the flames on his arms before re-joining the others in the elevator.  

With the elevator doors closed, Arthur finally spoke, “I’ll never let them take me alive, but if they do, I want them to have nothing to return to…”

The rest of the elevator ride was spent in silence, before the elevator finally stopped at the ground floor and everyone held their breath.

As soon as the doors were opened, there was a slight hesitation before everyone left the elevator, to see that they were in a large lobby-like area. With a large front desk, computers and more lounging, everything was white and high-end quality, which only made the group wonder more about what financial backing this organisation has…

Now, only a glass door stood between the group and their freedom, however, beyond that glass door, they could see what forces awaited them.

As the group made their way through the door, they all knew that they were in for a fight if they wanted to escape. The front of the building was paved with steps that led down to the wide driveway.

Now they somewhat understood the power of what enemy they faced. People in dark, padded protective suits formed a front line, wearing helmets that covered their faces, some with differently tinted lenses. Behind them stood multiple armoured cars, and even more special forces. They were all armed with weaponry that no one could tell the use of. No one knows yet whether these people are willing to kill the group. But that’s something that they’d have to find out…

 _“SURRENDER NOW! OR WE WILL APREHEND YOU FORCEFULLY!”_  A familiar voice called out from a megaphone somewhere in the chaos, and Francis instantly knew who it belonged to. _It was him,_ the man in all the memories, the one who organised this whole thing. If Francis could get close enough, he could have everyone’s questions answered…

Kiku was the one brave enough to state the group defiance, he stepped forward, his eyes narrowed with determination, he was not going to let these people take him again. He was out for revenge and desperate enough for escape. Kiku unleashed his swords from his wrists, showing off the long and sharp blades. Arthur’s arms burst into flames, small waves of light ran through Yao’s body, Ivan removed his gloves and the Italians braced themselves to run. Everyone was ready to give it their all.

This group was not going to go down without a fight, and they were more than ready to provide one.

_“Make us…”_


	17. Chapter 17

The following silence haunted the group, giving everyone a sick feeling in their stomachs, how hard were these people going to fight to keep them here, and how hard will the group have to fight to escape? They haven’t even decided whether they are going to kill, some were fine with the idea of killing for their freedom, however, most of them were not pleased with the idea…

Suddenly, Francis gasped, _“Matthew! They see you!!”_

Right after Francis spoke, the men with special visors fired their weapons, releasing electrical shocks that met with an invisible figure that stood halfway down the staircase. Matthew screamed as he was shocked, uncontrollably changing between being visible and invisible as he fell back onto the staircase and trembled. The fight has begun.

Arthur and Ludwig charged at the men who fired at Matthew, Arthur’s arms set alight as he threw flames at the group, dispersing them as Ludwig charged like a bull, knocking over the armoured car that served as a shield to protect even more guards.

Feliciano and Lovino sprang into action, speeding through the group of guards, moving so fast, no one could react before the Italians had passed. Within seconds they had passed the entire force that tried to stop them, and were running down the steep hill that the facility stood on top of. They could see a wall that built a long perimeter around the facility.  

Feliciano wondered whether escaping could really be so easy, but then he heard the roar of engines, and in the corner of his eye he saw more guards on motorbikes riding behind him and Lovino. He shouldn’t have thought it’d be this easy.

“Lovino!” Feliciano cried, bringing Lovino’s attention to the men who were chasing them.

“Shit!” Lovino hissed. “Keep running!”

Lovino knew that the facility would have a way to capture him and Feliciano, they know more about the brothers than they understand. But Lovino wasn’t willing to let them capture him and Feliciano so easily again.

Suddenly, a loud swish noise roared through the air, and Feliciano screamed as Lovino watched a large net wrap around his brother, throwing him to the ground meters away.

“NO!” Lovino cried as he sharply turned and ran towards his brother, who screamed as he tried to fight the net, that had now fastened him to the ground. “SHIT!” Lovino hissed as he tried pulling at the thick rope, but it was no use.

“LOVI! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE!!” Feliciano sobbed, pushing his fingers through the holes of the net to touch Lovino.

“I’m not going anywhere!” Lovino hissed, stilling trying to pull apart the net, but it was no use. “Shit…” Lovino looked up to see that the motorcycle group have started to circle around the brothers, probably preparing a net for Lovino. _“FUCK OFF!!”_ Lovino hissed, dashing around the small circle of space, trying his best to fend them off as well as he could. _“FUCK OFF!! FIGHT ME!”_  

“Perhaps you should wait for us next time...” A voice chuckled as a black mass of smoke formed next to Lovino, which turned into Gilbert, who smiled at Lovino with a cheeky grin, “Not all of us can keep up.”

Suddenly there was a loud roar as Ludwig snatched one of the bikes as it passed him, and used it as a weapon to destroy another. While Kiku dashed past him and fell to his knees in front of Feliciano.

“It’s ok, we’re going to get you out!” Kiku promised, using his blade to saw through the thick rope as Gilbert and Ludwig took care of the remaining motorcyclists.

Gilbert laughed as he teleported onto the back of a motorcycle that passed him, forcing the bike to crash and teleporting away before he could get hurt. And Ludwig grabbed the remaining bike and threw it away like it was a simple stick. With Feliciano freed, the group moved back to help the others who were still trying to break through the crowd by the staircase. From there, they could see that the third floor of the building had gone up in flames, they could see that Arthur’s outburst had created a lot of damage to one floor of the building, and Gilbert hoped that the fire would spread.

Yao jumped onto the car that Ludwig turned over, his eyes and hand glowing with bright power as he lifted his arms, delivering powerful electric shocks to the men who surrounded the car.

Matthew had slightly recovered from his shock as he tried to fight at the guards who were grabbing at his feet and arms, attempting to restrain him. _“GET OFF!! GET OFF ME!! SOMEBODY!!”_

 _“GET OFF HIM!!”_ Francis cried as he stomped into one of the guard’s backs, even though his powers weren’t physical, Francis couldn’t help but try to help. He only managed to knock away two of the guards before one Francis’ arm was restrained. The guards have started using control poles, like what animal control would use to restrain animals. This only angered Francis more as the crowd formed around him. Francis’ eyes glowed as he stepped into the man who restrained hi, growling, _“Let me go!!”_

To Francis’ surprise, the man actually did… He actually let go of the pole that restrained Francis, freeing him… Francis couldn’t help but frown as his eyes returned to normal, _“what…”_

“FRANCIS, DUCK!” Arthur cried as he pushed his way into the group, setting fire to everything in sight. Francis fell to his knees as Arthur threw flames over Francis’ back, warding off the men who stood by Francis and Matthew.

Arthur roared as he released powerful and intense flames from his arms like a flamethrower, setting all unfortunate people nearby on fire. Arthur rolled over Arthur’s back as he set another nearby guard on fire, dispersing the group near Francis and Matthew.

“Don’t draw attention to yourself,” Arthur pointed out before he broke into a run, terrorising more guards with his flames.

“Dude, you good?” Alfred asked as he helped pull Matthew off of the ground.

“A bit dizzy, but I’m good,” Matthew replied.

“Sweet,” Alfred explained, “It looks like they’re falling back, I think we may actually be winning.”

Suddenly, Alfred’s eyes glowed as he lifted his hands, and the toppled over armoured car slid along the ground, being pushed towards a group of guards that attempted to surround Alfred, Matthew and Francis.

“Well, we do have a couple of weapons of mass destruction,” Francis pointed out, watching Arthur chasing a guard, lighting the ground behind the guard on fire as he laughed like a madman.

“But we still need to keep moving!” Alfred pointed out before running back down the staircase, lifting his arms as the armoured car was lifted off of the ground, before being slammed back down, throwing any nearby guards to the ground.

Ludwig lifted a street light out of the ground with ease, using it as a sword, he waved it at any guards who dared to come near him.

Ivan’s face had completely changed by this point, his frostbite raging out of control on his lips and nose and in the corners of his eyes. He targeted guards who were standing alone. He forced them to the floor before forcing his frostbitten hands underneath their visors, aiming to freeze all he could While he felt as though he wasn’t being useful, at least he could do something. The guards would scream and squirm underneath Ivan, writhing in agony as Ivan’s frostbite took effect on their eyes and faces.

Kiku was determined to get his revenge, he refused to go down easily. He was finally able to use all of the skills that his mother taught him, and he was unafraid to kill. Blood splattered onto the grass as Kiku slashed his blades into a nearby guards, with such precision and speed, it almost looked artistic. Kiku had now become a dangerous weapon.

Yao was able to take down multiple guards at once, shocking them enough to bring them to their knees, with up to ten at a time falling around him when he released a powerful electric shock. He had never used his powers to hurt anyone before, and he has also never felt so _alive._  

Feliciano and Lovino managed to take the weapons of guards that they had taken down, and used them against the guards. Lovino and Feliciano had already been trained in using guns, and so their accuracy was nightmarish and their speed and agility only made it worse for any guard unfortunate enough to face the brothers.

Gilbert, much like the Italians, had chosen to use the guards own weapons against them, when a guard aimed at him, Gilbert would simply teleport to their eye level before stealing their weapon and teleporting to a safe distance before firing. He also enjoyed teleporting close enough to knock a guard to the ground, before teleporting multiple more times, to deliver hits from every different angle.

Matthew was the one who stuck by Francis, understanding why the Frenchman shouldn’t be left defenceless. Matthew remained invisible and patrolled near Francis, who was hiding behind one of the tipped over cars. Whenever anyone came too close for comfort, Matthew wouldn’t hesitate to knock them down and steal their weapon, before using it on them. Matthew figured out that the guards with red visors were the ones who could see him, perhaps they were using infrared or something. But, luckily for him, all of the guards with red visors had been taken down.

Alfred ran through the crowd, desperate to find something to lift, until he saw Arthur on the ground, and a guard pinning him down on his stomach. Alfred frowned when he noticed that the guard was pressing something into the exposed part of Arthur’s neck as the Englishman squirmed underneath him.

“GET OFF HIM!” Alfred roared as he swished his arm, and the guard as instantly thrown off of Arthur and to the ground meters away, where Ivan immediately jumped on him and got to work.

“Thanks,” Arthur thanked as Alfred helped him off of the ground, “I think they’ve underestimated us greatly, they need to be close to us in order to knock us out.”

“Right,” Alfred agreed.

“Lovino told me that they’ve seen the perimeter, the grounds of the facility aren’t huge, as soon as we take care of the guards, we should be able to move,” Arthur explained.

“This is getting easy, I think something’s wrong…” Alfred pointed out.

And Alfred was right suddenly a new wave of guards made their way around the facility, surrounding the entire group. Some were carrying hoses, to the sight, Arthur ignited his arms and smiled. But this didn’t last long, as the hose released a powerful burst of water that hit Arthur directly, knocking him to the ground.

Ivan and Yao gasped when they watched Arthur get watered down by a high-pressure hose, knowing that water was their own weaknesses.

Arthur screamed as the pressure of the water stung his skin and pushed him around the ground.

Alfred quickly acted and threw the guard away.

Suddenly, a hissing noise roared through the air and Alfred watched as a metal canister was thrown into the middle of the group, releasing a thick green gas that quickly spread. Alfred lifted the collar of his bomber jacket in an attempt to filter the air, however, it was no use. Alfred felt dizzy as he ran around, trying to find anyone else, or any way out of the gas cloud.

Alfred caught a glimpse of Gilbert, lying on the ground, the gas having taken its desired effect on him…

Suddenly, Alfred felt someone grab at his arm, the tall figure led him through the gas, pulling the dizzy American behind him. Alfred’s eyes widened as he watched more and more of his friends fall, Arthur was gone, so was Yao and Feliciano, and those were only the people he could see.

Somehow, they had managed to sneak past the guards and around the side of the building, when the gas cleared up, Alfred could see that it was Ivan and Kiku who were pulling him along. Alfred was relieved to final breathe in fresh air, as Ivan finally stopped pulling him along when they were on the other side of the building.

The back of the building was a stark contrast to the front, with a lovely garden with bushes, trees and even seating areas littered around the space. Kiku breathed deeply as he looked around for any guards, relieved to see that no one is in sight.

“So much for winning,” Ivan sighed.

“We need to go back and save them!” Alfred pointed out.

“We will, we just need to figure out how… We can’t leave without the others…” Kiku sighed.

“Good, I loved that we all agree,” Ivan pointed out. However, the peace did not last very long, torchlight littered the ground around the side of the building, and the noises of people talking sent a shiver down Kiku’s spine.

“Shit!” Hide!” Kiku hissed as the trio ran for the trees and bushes, however, before he could hide properly, Kiku realised that the light was pointing on him. He has been seen, and if Alfred and Ivan are going to have any hope, he cannot allow them to be found.

Kiku sighed as he drew out his blades, and turned around to face the guards that started to gather around the garden.

Alfred and Ivan were already hidden, and watched as the guards focussed on Kiku.

“Shit… No….” Alfred gasped.

“It’s too late!” Kiku cried, “They’ve already escaped!”

“He’s making them think we’ve left….” Ivan whispered.

Kiku did not speak again before he ran at the guards with his blades at the ready. They tried to shoot him down, but Kiku was too fast. Kiku used every skill he had, desperately trying to buy Alfred and Ivan more time, so he held off killing them.

Alfred watched with wide eyes as Kiku flawlessly and swiftly fought against the guards, noticing that his blank facial expression did not falter once as his blades lightly sliced the guards.

However, Kiku was interrupted when a loud bang shot through the air, and Kiku fell to his knees and gasped in pain, clutching his stomach where bright blue paint splattered his stomach.

“Huh… It’s not the same as a normal gun,” A voice sighed, and Alfred and Ivan instantly realised who it was. The man from their memories, the man in charge of this entire operation walked past the guards, holding a large paint gun as Kiku was pulled onto his feet, and his arms held in place. “But I’m sure that you know that we don’t want to kill you. We can’t afford to kill you.”

The man then looked up at the building, taking note of the fire that Arthur had started, now it was raging out of control on the third floor, “That little British fucker, I swear to God…”

“Dr, everyone has been secured and are being transferred downstairs,” one guard explained, “Only unit A.J and unit I.B have been unaccounted for.”

The man chuckled, “That’s fine, they won’t get far.”

“What do you want with us?!” Kiku asked as he tried to fight the grip of his captors, but to no avail, “Where is my mother?!”

“Naww,” the man cooed, smirking as he walked towards Kiku, unafraid of the blades that came from Kiku’s wrists. “Don’t worry, you’ll meet the same fate.”

At this admission, Kiku shook hard, managing to free his arms enough so that his blades pointed directly at the man’s neck. If Kiku could move any more, he would have happily slit the man’s throat, however, the man had not even flinched, and continued to look down at Kiku with a sinister smile.

 “WHAT DID YOU DO!?” Kiku growled, trying his best to fight against the guards, determined to destroy the man, but it was no use.

The man chuckled as he leaned into Kiku, his smile making him more uncomfortable by the second. “If you want to know so bad, _you’ll go first.”_  

“First for what?!” Kiku gasped.

The man only ignored Kiku, and talked to the guards, “Take him inside and secure him. Be sure to put him at the front of the queue. And find the last two. They’ve probably gone over the wall by now…” The man ordered as he turned around and walked away, with the guards following; dragging Kiku as he kicked and screamed behind them.

“Oh God…” Alfred gasped as he looked at Ivan, who was already staring at him with the same horrified glare.

It is up to them now. They have to save their friend from what sounds like a terrifying fate…

 


	18. Chapter 18

Alfred and Ivan glanced at each other with horrified looks on their faces as the guards ran through the garden, trying to find them, but unaware that the American and the Russian were already hiding at their feet.   
As soon as the guards passed, Alfred crouched and made his way towards the bush where Ivan was hiding behind. 

“I don’t like this at all, what’re they going to do to us? Oh God!” Alfred whimpered, trembling with fear, “What’re they gonna do to Kiku?! We’re all fucked man, we’re so fucked!” 

“Alfred, remember to breathe!” Ivan hissed, not sure of how else to react to Alfred’s panic. 

“I just... Oh God! If they find us--!”

“SHH!” Ivan hissed as he pulled Alfred into the ground as the guards passed again. 

“SHIT!” the guards yelled, “THEY’VE GOTTEN OVER THE WALL! SEND OUT THE CARS!” Alfred and Ivan glanced at each other with equal looks of horror.

“What’ll we do?” Alfred asked, whimpering, finally losing his composure as he curled into a ball, gripping his hair with his hands, trying his hardest to not throw something with his telekinesis and blow their cover. Thank God, his powers are sorted out now, otherwise he would have been caught already. His anxiety was through the roof, it was a miracle that he could think clearly. “We can’t leave them behind.”

“Good. I won’t be going alone then,” Ivan admitted, “We’re not leaving the others behind, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself…” 

“When are we ever gonna find another group of freaks, eh?” Alfred chuckled as he lifted his head off the ground, smiling at Ivan, “We’ll be heroes, eh?” 

“Sure.” 

“But now the question is… how…?” Alfred asked, “they’re looking for us, so moving now wouldn’t be smart.” 

“I agree. Perhaps waiting for now is for the best…” Ivan murmured, looking through the bush, instantly realising that the fire Arthur had created in the building had gotten worse. 

Judging by the alignment of windows, perhaps it was on the third or fourth floor, but the fire that Arthur created illuminated the dark night sky. The flames roared and smoke escaped through the broken windows, there’s no doubt that the entire level is destroyed, could this ruin the structural integrity of the building? How are they going to stop the fire? Where are they going to put Alfred and Ivan’s friends? More importantly; how much time do Alfred and Ivan have to save them?   
But still, Ivan had a feeling that Arthur would be happy to see the mess he made. And perhaps it will give Alfred and Ivan the distraction that they need. There was a large window on their side of the building, and Ivan could see the flames reach through the window, showing the immense power that they had, it was brighter than any fire that Ivan had ever seen, just the idea of it made Ivan feel nervous. 

“Oh God… Where do you think they took the others?” Alfred asked, Ivan noted that Alfred seems to have calmed down a little more. 

“Well. I think they wouldn’t have gone upstairs, because of the fire,” Ivan pointed out. 

“But where else could they go?” Alfred asked. 

“There’s more to the building than what we see now…” Ivan murmured, “did you see how many buttons were on the elevator? There must be underground levels…” 

“Right…” 

“But, what scares me, is if they’re able to hold all of us in one place together; imagine what they have if they wanted to keep us all still…” Ivan pointed out, his eyes widening as he and the American stared at each other, growing more and more worried at the suggestion.   
What are these people doing to their friends? 

“We can’t let them capture us too. We’re the others last hope,” Alfred agreed as he and Alfred peered through the bush they were using as cover. They watched as people ran around, trying to assess just how strong the fire was, and within a couple of minutes, a ladder had been set up next to the window. Alfred recognised a figure who climbed up the ladder as one of the people who carried a high-pressure hose: one of the people who sprayed Arthur; and now they’re dealing with Arthur’s fire. “Ivan, do you think we can get back in through there?”

“Are you serious?!” Ivan hissed, “I cannot get anywhere near there, I’d melt!” 

“But dude, how else are we going to get in?” Alfred asked, “We can’t just walk in through the front! Are you really that heat-intolerant?” 

“I… I don’t know…” Ivan admitted, “I just dislike the idea, it’s against all that I’ve known! Do you really expect me to be fine with walking through fire?!” 

“I’ll have your back! Besides, we don’t have any other option, and we’re running out of time!” Alfred pointed out, “We don’t know how much time we have.” Ivan just sighed as Alfred crossed his arms, “I don’t mind going in alone.” 

“Are you crazy!?” Ivan hissed, “going alone is suicide! No matter what your powers are!” 

“Then what else can we do!?” 

\-------- 

Matthew groaned as his head spun, he wasn’t sure of which way was up, or where he was. He didn’t know whether he could hear ringing, or whether the noise was coming from inside his head. He felt like he was going to be sick if he moved too fast. He couldn’t remember his own name, let alone how he got to where he was now.   
However, as he became more aware and recovered from his induced slumber: the more he came to realise what was going on. 

He tried to move his arms, but his wrists were bound, at the realisation, his eyes shot open. He found himself in a bedroom, similar to what he woke up in when the entire thing began. Expect it was smaller and his metal white bed was the only one in the room. He felt his head spin as he sat up, noticing that a pair of handcuffs were keeping his wrists bound, other than that, he was generally unrestrained. 

He slowly stood off the bed, walking around the small room, noting the security camera in the corner, and the small circular window on the door.   
Matthew was completely trapped, he stared at the camera with wide eyes, knowing that there was no way he’d be able to escape. 

\-------- 

Gilbert sighed as his head spun, waking in a single bed in a small bedroom, knowing that he was being watched by security cameras. Gilbert laid on the bed as he stared around the room, wondering where the additional security is. 

They know what he is capable of, right? They know that he could just teleport through a wall and disappear. The window in the door confirmed that Gilbert would easily be able to escape. Because now, all Gilbert wanted to do was teleport through the wall and find Ludwig and cause hell along the way. Not even the handcuffs that restrained Gilbert’s wrists could keep him restrained, as he knows that he can easily teleport out of those too.   
Gilbert sat up in the bed, looking around the room, just to check for any other security, however, he noticed that there was a bedside table next to him and there was something on the bedside table that caught his attention, a small square piece of paper. 

With a frown, Gilbert picked up the paper and read ‘Don’t move.’ And as soon as Gilbert turned over the piece of paper, he saw a photo that made him realise that they don’t need security to keep him still: they need the right threat.   
Gilbert knew now that if he escaped there would be a consequence that could not risk.

\------ 

No matter how hard Yao tried to move, he couldn’t do it, something was wrapped tightly around his entire bod, surrounding him in cold…   
Yao finally opened his eyes and frowned at what he saw, a large glass mask covered his entire face and fed him oxygen, whereas beyond the mask; he was submerged under water, like a fish in an aquarium.   
Yao’s eyes widened as he tried to fight the full-body restraint, and weights that kept him at the bottom of the tank 

Yao became more and more panicked as he struggled to break free. These people knew exactly what they were doing by trapping Yao under water. If he used his powers, Yao would be shocked or electrocuted. He was just like a working toaster thrown into a bathtub… 

He was powerless while underwater, and the best he can do now is wait in fear and pray that what is coming to him isn’t too bad. But yet, he had a feeling that he was in for a lot of pain. 

\------- 

“FUCK!” Lovino hissed as he pulled against his restraints, but it was no use. 

“Lovi! It really hurts!!” Feliciano cried as he hung his head in defeat, whimpering in pain at the odd angle that his restraints forced him into.   
It was like their captors wanted to add insult to injury, Feliciano and Lovino were fastened to a wall, trapped with their arms and legs fastened to the wall by metal restraints. The Italians couldn’t even move, let alone run away. 

“SHIT!” Lovino roared, before looking to Feliciano, noticing that he had stopped moving, “Don’t give up! We’re not going to let this stop us, we can still get away!” 

“But we can’t do anything! We’re stuck!” Feliciano pointed out. Lovino could see how much this was hurting his little brother…. Feliciano was always the positive one, no matter what they faced, Feliciano never wanted to give up or was hopeless… seeing him like this really hurt Lovino, and so that’s why he knew that he couldn’t give up now. He’s not going to let Feliciano believe that there is no hope. 

Even though he’s struggling to remain hopeful himself. 

\-------------- 

Arthur’s entire body ached in pain as he stretched his legs, he still could feel the roaring pain of the high-pressure hose against his body, making him writhe in pain. However, his entire upper half was restrained, his arms were wrapped in a familiar restraint. 

Arthur’s eyes opened as he felt a cold brush of air brush his cheeks, the room he was in was freezing as he sat on the chilled floor. He could tell immediately by the frosted walls that he was in a fridge of some sorts, and that only pissed him off.   
Arthur looked down to see that he was in his straight jacket, the same one he wore in the youth detention centre… They knew that this jacket was the only thing that restrained Arthur, and so he was not surprised to see that they were using it against him. 

He could see that there were two guards standing by the door, armed with weapons, “Oi! The fuck is this, you know I’m from Liverpool, right!? Do you honestly think that the cold affects me?! It’s cold up there, knobheads!” 

The guards did not reply, they did not even acknowledge that Arthur was standing, his entire body aching from his pained muscles and sore legs. He had been in that uncomfortable position for ages. Perhaps this was punishment for the fire he started. If that was the case, Arthur still didn’t regret it at all. However, he couldn’t deny that he was slowly becoming more and more afraid. 

“Oi!” Arthur grumbled, his arms heating as he tried to throw flames through his jacket, but it only ended up heating his body and pushing smoke through the collar of his shirt. Arthur tried to run at them, but before he could get close enough to the guards, Arthur was pulled back by a force against his neck, throwing him back and to the floor. It was then that he realised that there was a collar around his neck, that connected him to the wall with a long chain. He was truly a chained-up dog… As Arthur groaned in pain, he was sure that he could hear the guards laughing at his struggle. 

\------- 

Francis knew as he felt himself lose consciousness that he was in for a world of hurt, and when he woke up, he still worried about what was going to come for him. He felt like he was going to be sick, his head was pounding and his muscles ached from the uncomfortable position that he found himself in. 

He couldn’t move his mouth, let alone his arms, he opened his eyes to find his torso completely restrained to a chair, forced into a hunched over position. However, it was the mask on his face that freaked him out the most. The mask covered the bottom half of his face, and completely gagged him, taking away his ability to talk. Francis wanted to groan in the pain, but the mask would not allow it. 

He quickly noticed the presence of guards, who stood by the door to Francis’ cell, armed with weapons. They were barely n Francis’ radius, so he could barely hear their thoughts, let alone be close enough to look through memories. They had obviously been made aware of Francis’ ability, as they didn’t know English or French. 

Like in the first battle, Francis felt completely helpless, he was on his own now, and knew that something terrible was coming for him. 

\------- 

Ludwig felt like he had just drunk a whole bottle of vodka at once, his head was spinning and his vision was blurry, he could barely register the colours. But yet, he knew that this was for, he cannot use his strength if he couldn’t concentrate, and they can’t restrain Ludwig when he is at his strongest. 

He growled and whined as he shook, feeling that his arms had been restrained, he struggled to even sit up properly. He fought against the drugs that affected him as hard as he could, but he barely sat up for a minute before falling back into his bed in a woozy mess. 

But he could hear someone, “Ludwig!” 

Ludwig frowned as he struggled to recognise the voice, but he knew that it was someone he trusted. 

“Wer…” Ludwig murmured, he was too far gone to even remember English. 

“Ludwig, it’s me, Kiku!” Kiku explained, “I’m tied up! Can you move?” 

It took Ludwig at least a minute to process what Kiku had said, a minute of which he spent struggling to even lie down, “Nein…” 

“Shit! They’re going to hurt us!” Kiku whimpered, “We’re first…” 

First for what? 

Suddenly there was the noise of doors opening and people walking into the room, talking amongst themselves. 

“K.H is restrained and ready,” one voice reported, “tighten that one on his arm a little more, I don’t like that he can move it.” 

“What are you going to do to me!? Leave me alone! Don’t touch me!!” Kiku cried, before his voice was muffled. 

“Shh, go to sleep, it will be over soon…” 

"Lass ihn in Allein!!” Ludwig roared as he pushed himself off the bed, only to fall straight to the floor, unable to move any further, like a fish out of water, or rather, like a drugged fish out of water. 

“Shit! Get L.B back in bed and give him another dose, NOW!” 

Ludwig groaned as he was helped off of the floor and put back onto the bed, he struggled to fight as he felt his arms become restrained to the side of the bed. He whimpered as he felt them put something onto his face, making him breathe in a sweet-smelling gas. Suddenly it became harder for him to keep his eyes open, and he slowly drifted back into the darkness, terrified of what was going to face him when he woke up.


	19. Chapter 19

Ivan wheezed heavily, struggling to keep himself on his feet as he felt the heat waft around him, the heat from Arthur’s fire was crippling him.

“It’s ok!” Alfred exclaimed, patting Ivan on the shoulder as he helped the Russian climb into the hallway from the ladder, where the heat engulfed them both. 

“No, it’s not, I can’t be here for much longer!” Ivan grumbled, feeling his limbs tingle as the heat suffocated him, it was hotter than anything he had ever experienced, and he was suffering through every second of it. 

“Shit…” Alfred grumbled, feeling the heat start to have its effect on him, it was hot, and he and Alfred only had their coats for protection, and Alfred’s brown bomber-jacket wasn’t helping him at all. Alfred lifted the colour of his blue t-shirt to cover his nose and mouth, watching Ivan do the same. Alfred gasped when he watched a man wearing protective clothing and holding a firehose, heading into one of the offices to tackle the fire, “HIDE!” 

“WHERE!?” Ivan wheezed, curling over in pain. 

“FUCK!” Alfred hissed. 

He needed to find a way out of here, Ivan was becoming weaker with every second, and Alfred knew that there was no way that he could do this alone. The others were depending on them, Alfred and Ivan were the heroes now. But now, Alfred needed to take the lead. Alfred watched the flames roar around them, and while Alfred was happy that Arthur’s earlier outburst had created the perfect distraction, but now he needed to contain it before it destroyed them. But then, Alfred remembered that there was an elevator and a door right next to it at the end of the hallway, if Alfred and Ivan got to the door, they could have a way to get to the lower levels and find their friends. Alfred knew now that he had to act, and he has a way to ensure that he and Ivan could make their way through the hallway safely. So far, he has noticed around three people who were working to extinguish the fire. 

Alfred took in a deep breath, begging for the force within him for cooperation, like he still couldn’t believe that he had gained more control over his once chaotic powers.   
Alfred lifted his arms and clenched his fists, “Ivan, get ready to run for the door… riiiight…” Alfred opened his eyes revealing that they had begun to glow, and suddenly, all the doors into the offices slammed shut, leaving Alfred and Ivan blocked off from the guards who were fighting the fire, “NOW!” 

Alfred hooked his arm over Ivan’s shoulder, seeing that the Russian was struggling to stand, and helped him run through the hallway, braving through the flames long enough for them to reach the inferno that was the lobby area. Seeing the that the door to the stairwell had been opened, Alfred guided Ivan through and forced the door shut as far as he could, but couldn’t completely close it because of the water hose, which was obviously what the guards were using to fight Arthurs flames. 

“Haaaaaaa…” Ivan wheezed, falling to his knees as he struggled to breathe, rejoicing in the cooler air, “Give me a minute, please…” 

“Ok dude, cool down a little,” Alfred murmured as he pat Ivan on the head, before looking to the wall, seeing that a guide had been placed beside the door. It told Alfred that the staircase behind him led up to the next five levels, whereas the staircase beside him led down to the lobby, as well one underground level. “I think you’re right, the others are being held underground. I think we should go to the first underground level, and see what we can do from there.”

“Right…” Ivan agreed, slowly pulling himself off the floor, “We should move, fast.” 

“Are you ok?” Alfred asked, noticing that Ivan still appeared disorientated and exhausted, the heat must have taken a toll on him. 

“I’m fine, I can deal with it, I’ll be better soon,” Ivan promised as he and Alfred started to walk down the staircase, thankful that the levels were labelled, knowing that soon they were going to be closer to their friends, and closer to freedom. 

\------- 

Despite how dizzy he was, Kiku was sure that he could hear a buzz running through his head, he couldn’t open his eyes, nor could he move. He felt as though he was just floating alone in a pool of darkness, he was dancing on the border of consciousness, and it wouldn’t be a moment before he returned to his land of silence and isolation. But it didn’t stop him from being able to hear the voices around him, even though he couldn’t understand what they were saying, his mind wasn’t awake enough to translate. 

“You know what, enough waiting, tell admin that K.H is ready for surgery,” a male voice ordered. 

“I don’t think surgery is a good idea, electric shocks already force his blades out; we don’t need to cut him open just to watch how the blades come out…” 

“Well, we’re not going to see how they connect to the rest of his arm through electric shocks, aren’t we?” The man explained, “Besides, he has two of them.” 

“Fine… Dr… I’ll collect the blood samples.” 

“Also, prepare the bone marrow extraction.” 

“Bone marrow?” 

“You heard me, we’re going all out on this group of freaks, leave no stone unturned.” 

“But… the last…” 

“You heard me.” 

“Dr, L.B is ready in Lab C. He is heavily sedated and blood extraction has begun.” 

“Alright.” 

“A-Are you going to take all of their marrows…?” 

“Yes. Eventually all of them will end up on my table, we’re going to find out exactly what these freaks are made of, and how we can take it.” 

\-------- 

When they reached the bottom of the staircase, they pushed open a heavy metal door, only to find themselves standing in a small hallway, which led into a dark control room, where the wall was lined with dozens of computer screens, throughout the room, rows of empty desks stood in formation. A man and a woman were sitting at the long desk at the front of the dark room, completely unaware of Alfred and Ivan as the snuck through the glass doors, entering the dark space, and hiding behind the desks. 

Alfred and Ivan glanced at each other as they hid behind their own desks, before falling to their hands and knees, staring at each other in confusion and panic, they tried to communicate through frantic glares and terrible attempts at lip=reading. It was Ivan who started crawling towards the two, using the desks as a cover, and Alfred started to follow him through the opposite row. 

“Shit, how long do you think it’ll take them to take care of the fire upstairs?” The man asked. 

“No idea. The one who started it is in the cool chamber, right?” The woman asked, “Is he going to go unpunished for that, or…?” 

“Well, with what the doctor wants to do to him, he’s going to have enough punishment.”   
Alfred gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to tackle them both as they kept talking, “and what we’re going to get out of him will be reward enough.” 

Alfred’s eyes widened with shock, to see that Ivan was already giving him the same shocked look, wondering what these people were planning to do to Arthur. Alfred and Ivan then found themselves directly behind the two, and they hadn’t yet decided what to do, however, they both knew that there was only one way that they were going to save their friends. 

However, Ivan surprised Alfred by pulling off his gloves, revealing his frostbitten hands; and he suddenly leapt forward and grabbed the man and dragged him back, wrapping his arm around the man’s neck. 

“OH MY GOD!” The woman screamed as she jumped back from her seat as Ivan’s frostbitten hands wrapped over the man’s neck. 

“ALFRED!! STOP HER!” Ivan cried as the woman began to run away, “DON’T LET HER GET AWAY! THEY’LL CATCH US!!”

Although Alfred was shaking, he swiped his hand and the woman was thrown against the wall, so hard that a hole had nearly been put through the concrete, and she had completely stopped moving.

“Oh… God…” Alfred whimpered, struggling to come to terms with what he had done. 

However, Ivan had accepted his sin, he felt the man struggle against his grip, struggling to breathe as Ivan held him tightly. Ivan had accepted that these people were going to hurt them if they did not take their lives into their own hands. Ivan was willing to have some blood on his hands if it gave him a chance of escape. However, he could see that Alfred had a harder time accepting this reality. If they were going to escape, they were going to have to work hard and take no prisoners. 

“Oh god, oh my god…” Alfred whimpered, “She’s dead, she’s fucking dead, I broke something! Fuck!” 

“Alfred!” Ivan snapped, “This is something we have to do if we are going to save our friends, you heard how they were talking about Arthur, they’re going to hurt him and they’re going to hurt the others if we don’t stop them!!” 

Alfred sighed, realising that the Russian was right, Alfred can’t expect to save anyone if he can’t get his hands dirty. It’s a fact that Alfred had to suck up, the others were depending on him, and judging by what the man and woman were saying earlier, what their friends were facing was not nice, and Alfred and Ivan had no idea what exactly they were facing. 

Before Ivan knew it, the man had stopped moving, his fight was over. Ivan sighed as he stood up from the floor, trying to pretend to be strong, Alfred needed him to be strong right now, he couldn’t let the American seeing him being weak, or it will make him doubt. 

“Fucking hell…” Alfred growled, dropping his head into his hands, not wanting to watch Ivan drag the body of the man behind the desks. 

“We’re doing a good thing,” Ivan pointed out, “We can’t rescue our friends if we don’t get our hands dirty—“ 

“I know! Stop saying that!” Alfred hissed, not wanting to hear Ivan’s justification again. 

Ivan jumped at Alfred’s bitter response, “I’m scared too! Don’t take this out on me!” Ivan would have kept going, however, what he saw on the screens in front of the main desk. Multiple screens showed footage from multiple different rooms with people in them. “Alfred… Look…” 

Alfred frowned as he turned around to look at the screen, becoming just as shocked as Ivan, “No way… This is their control room…” 

Alfred and Ivan leaned across the desks to look at the screen, he could see Lovino and Feliciano being fastened to a wall, Gilbert lying on a bed, Francis sitting in a room, tied up and wearing a muzzle, Yao submerged underwater in full restraints, Arthur in his straight jacket and chained to the wall, and infrared vision, with one warm figure being spotted circling aimlessly around the room. Every room was catered perfectly to handle the abilities of every person, and the presence of armed guards in Francis and Arthur’s rooms spoke volumes of how serious these people were, and understaffed, Ivan hoped. 

“Hang on, where are Ludwig and Kiku?” Alfred asked, pointing to two screens which showed empty rooms. 

“Oh no…” Ivan gasped, “We’re not too late, are we?”

“If we are, we’ll raise hell in this shithole,” Alfred growled, “This is sick, what the fuck is going on here?” 

“I don’t know!” Ivan gasped. 

“Oh, fuck me, dude, look!” Alfred gasped, pointing to two rooms on the screen, where in the corners were the abbreviations ‘AJ’ and ‘IB’, “They have rooms for us. It looks like yours has heaters! And mine…” 

“A bed… Perhaps they would have kept you unconscious,” Ivan pointed out. 

“That makes sense, they wouldn’t want me to be awake,” Alfred agreed. 

“Look, there are room numbers at the bottom of the screen, we should write these down,” Ivan explained. 

“Ok… Get ready to read them out, I’ll find some paper,” Alfred exclaimed as he started to look through the desk, trying to find something to write on. The desk was littered with pieces of paper that were already covered in notes, none of which Alfred bothered the read, until he flipped open a binding folder, and saw picture of Arthur staring back at him. “What the…” Alfred frowned as he stared at Arthurs photograph, it was a portrait; where he was staring directly into the camera; anger tinged in his vibrant green eyes. Alfred couldn’t help but liken the photo to a mugshot, there was a wall behind him that pointed out his height, a hand was holding a plaque with a collection of numbers and letters, and Arthur was wearing his straight jacket. “Fuck…?” 

“Oh, so that’s where Arthur came from…” Ivan murmured, “What does the file say?” 

“Arthur Kirkland… Pyrokinesis…” Alfred frowned, “Holy shit, there’s a whole file on him, with his background and everything, they got him from a Youth Detention Centre. Holy fuck…” 

“They’d have everyone’s information…” Ivan murmured as Alfred turned the page, revealing a picture of Feliciano, then Lovino, then Gilbert, then Ludwig, then Alfred, Yao, Francis, Ivan and then Kiku. 

Ivan decided that he needed to focus, he took another piece of paper and pen, and began to note down the room numbers and his friends. 

“Oh my God… Oh my fucking God!” Alfred gasped. 

“What?” Ivan asked, not wanting to even look. 

“Roderich Edelstein: Sonic-scream. Elizabeta Hedervary: Levitation. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo: Superhuman punch. Lukas Bondevik: Psychic connection with an incorporeal entity. Berwald Oxenstierna: Communication with deceased. Holy shit, there’s a whole other group here they—“ 

“Alfred?” Ivan asked, glancing at Alfred who stared intensely at one page, that showed a picture of a young girl with short blonde hair and large green eyes. Alfred stared at the page in shock as he read through the girl’s details like he had just uncovered a massive clue. But then, he started to turn the pages back frantically, his face growing more concerned, before he suddenly slammed the folder against the table, before sliding the folder in Ivan’s direction, leaving it on the picture of the man called Roderich Edelstein. 

“I’m gonna throw up…” Alfred grumbled. Ivan frowned as he looked down at the page, quickly noticing the piece of vital information that Alfred had looked over the first time. Ivan’s eyes quickly widened with shock, and it became even more vital that they save their friends from meeting the same fate as the group before them. 

“Status: Deceased.”


	20. Chapter 20

“Oi! What are you looking at!? Wipe that smirk off your face, or I’ll burn it off!!” Arthur growled, noticing that one guard has spent too much time staring at him for his liking. Arthur paced to both sides of the room, as far as his chain would allow him, still feeling his body ache from the pain of the high-pressure hose, there was no doubt that his body was covered in bruises. 

“Hah,” the guard murmured, and despite the glare of the second guard, he continued, “You’re the one in the straight-jacket, and yet you still talk shit.” 

“Fuck you!” Arthur spat, resisting the urge to run at the guard, but knowing that a chain connected him to the wall stopped him. 

“I’d shut up if I were you, you have no idea what’s coming to you,” the man chuckled, “the doctor is going to get back at you for what you did upstairs, you know.” 

“Oh yeah, what’re they going to do, huh?! I’ll fucking burn the lot of you!” Arthur hissed, trying his best to appear stronger than he was, out of fear. He was not going to let his straight-jacket, nor the guns on his guards scare him. At least, not that they could see.   
Even though Arthur was the one in the straight-jacket, he was not going to let this cocky guard walk all over him. Arthur was going to remind him who was the dangerous prisoner… 

“Good luck, we know that you can’t do shit with that jacket on, you’re all bark and no bite,” the guard explained. “You know, only now they’ve started to count the bodies of the people you lot of freaks killed out there. We’re thinking that the body count will be high between you and the two Asians, but then again… you’re the one that had a head start, didn’t you? In fact, you had a body-count before you even came here…”

“SHUT UP!” Arthur growled, not willing to give in to the guard’s games, however, he wasn’t sure if getting Arthur angry was the aim of the man’s game, “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”   
Arthur wanted nothing more than to attack the man where he stood, but then, that was what the guards game was, he wanted to make Arthur upset… 

Arthur sighed as he backed-up to the wall, before sliding to the floor, feeling his legs tingle when he finally relaxed, he had been on his feet for so long, they were beginning to ache. His entire body ached and stiffened, and even with shoes and socks on; his toes where stiff from the cold. 

He knew that the guard was right, and didn’t want to know how the man knew so much about Arthur’s past… But then again, the information that they had on him was extensive; Arthur was collected from a youth detention centre, and he was going to be transferred to prison. There’s no doubt that they have all the information that the centre had about him. They’d also know that he was labelled as heartless murderer and arsonist by his own country… 

Arthur found himself weakly drifting into his memories, remembering when he woke up one night from a nightmare finding that he had set his entire house on fire in his sleep. He had lost his entire family because he did not understand the extent or the ferocity of his powers… It had been haunting him for years, and while this experience has served as a brilliant distraction, his pain was now back with a vengeance. His past was never going to let him go… He lost his entire family because of his powers, and was thrown in jail labelled as a murderer because of it… Perhaps he deserved this, perhaps he deserved to be punished by whoever is in control of this operation… Perhaps he does deserve the mocking and the taunting; all he’s done is bring pain. 

Although, he knew that Francis tried to help his pain, his words didn’t have much effect, he had been trying to tell himself that it was an accident for years with no results, what could a mindreading Frenchman say to make him feel any different? 

He was trapped and useless, his straight jacket was the one thing that could hold him back. He used to rely on the jacket to keep his flames controlled while he slept, but now it was being used to keep him detained. And he had no clue what punishment was going awaiting him. 

\------ 

“Deceased!” Alfred hissed as he slammed his fist against the desk as Ivan looked through the file, “They’re fucking killing us! They’re going to fucking kill us!” 

“They can’t have already started, right?” Ivan asked, “Fuck! But where are Ludwig and Kiku!?” 

“Shit! We can’t be too late, can we?” Alfred asked, “Fucking God, I bet they were watching us from this room the whole time! We’re a fucking GAME to them!” 

“This was the plan all along, they only kept us together to get this place ready for us!” Ivan exclaimed. 

“But… what’s the AIM of it? Control? Power?”

“Science…” Ivan whispered, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Alfred, “They want to find out why we have powers. On Feliciano, Lovino and Ludwig’s page, they talk about looking at their muscles, seeing what makes them different from the average, they’re going to be looking at Kiku’s blades, Arthur’s arms… Everything! They want to know what makes us different.” 

“And it’s what killed the last group…” Alfred gasped, “They pushed the last group too far, and they died as a result… But… would that happen to us…?”

“Do you really want to ask that question?” Ivan asked. 

“Shit… Of course, we’ll all die if these guys get what they want from us…” 

“We need to get the others out and leave here, now,” Ivan explained before pointing to the file, “the file talks about the conditions of their holding cells, see; Arthur is ‘held in chilled cell, restrained via straight-jacket, accompanied by armed guards.’ He’s labelled as ‘high risk’.” 

“Ok… Maybe we can try to use the file to our advantage…” Alfred murmured, as he crossed his arms over his chest; staring at the screens, “See who’s guarded and who’s not… So far, I can only see people with Arthur and Francis, but perhaps there’s a shift. I don’t think they’d have many people on patrol right now, with the shit we all caused outside.” 

“Yes… Yao is supposed to be guarded, but we can’t see anyone. He’s a high risk too…” Ivan explained, “You’re a high risk too…” 

“Well, they’ve got all this shit figured out…” Alfred grumbled. “This place looks like their security hub, without this; they can’t watch us…” As Alfred spoke, his vibrant eyes glared into Ivan’s, where the Russian shared an equally mischievous glare. 

Words were no longer needed between them, and Ivan was the first to initiate the attack, lifting the desk chair at the front of the desk, and throwing it against the screen, instantly breaking it and destroying the image it had. 

Alfred was more than happy to join the fun, but like a kid that he was: he had to take it one step further. Rejoicing in the newfound control of his powers, Alfred’s eyes glowed as he swayed his arm, and the entire table crashed into the screen, smashing nearly every monitor to pieces, effectively destroying any surveillance their captors had over them. 

Now Alfred and Ivan could confidently run downstairs and free their friends without the fear of being watched. 

\----- 

Francis head has begun to ache again…. His head slowly tilted from side to side, trying his best to shift out of the uncomfortable position, but his restraints were not going to give him the room. He could even feel the thick muzzle tickle his facial hair. 

It was the familiar urge to give in, the urge to let his mind run free and his powers take control… And judging by the blue line of tape that his armed guards stood behind; they assumed that they knew what his range was. But they were a bit off, Francis’ range ended a bit further from the blue tape, and was exactly where the guards were standing; just beyond his range… Close enough that he could barely hear their thoughts; like a radio that was falling in and out of frequency. It was driving Francis crazy. And the urge in his head was becoming harder to resist. 

Even in his uncomfortable state, Francis still analysed that was all around him, anything to find some kind of clue to help him escape. However… He can’t break out of his chains, nor can he make himself disappear, he also can’t do anything to make his guards move away… He’s stuck… 

However, he couldn’t help but question the conditions of his imprisonment… Why was so much effort being put into him, if he was such a weak-link? Why did he have armed guards, with strict orders to not converse with him in any way, shape or form? Why does he have the wear a muzzle? Do the others have these kind of conditions, if his captors were slightly closer, he could have easily looked through their memories and tried to figure out whether the others were in similar conditions. 

The muzzle concerned him the most, why did they want him to be mute? Was there something about him that scared them, that made them worry? Francis could tell that his silence was more than procedure: it was intentional. And the more intensely he focused on the guard who stood to the right of the door into Francis’ room, Francis came to understand more, the muzzle was his own unique trap. But why? 

Suddenly, Francis’ eyes widened; he knew why.   
It was why people did not argue with him, it was why people in Paris did not fight him when he told them his fees, it’s why these people now are determined to not let him speak. He had a power that he never knew he had: influence… 

Francis wanted to swear!! There was so much he could have done if he knew that he had this power earlier! But now everything made so much more sense!! That’s why his captors don’t want him to talk, they don’t want to risk him influencing his guards. 

Despite the excitement of his discovery, the itch in Francis’ mind had become worse. It was becoming too hard for the Frenchman to ignore. But now… he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he let his powers take control. Can his situation really become much worse than this?

Francis tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Finally letting the urge take control, and suddenly, everything felt so natural. His head snapped forward with such ferocity, his chair pushed forward slightly, and his eyes were glowing as he set his sights directly on the guard to the right, and instantly; he felt his mental grip strangle him, and within seconds; Francis had taken control. 

The man’s body stiffened and his mind silenced, now Francis is in control; he could give an order and he knew that the man would follow it, he is now an empty vessel for Francis to control. And his first order was to lift his gun, and shoot his fellow guard. And he did it, without hesitation. The other guard fell to the floor dead as the man under Francis’ control stood as still as a statue, his eyes as blank as his mind. 

The next order Francis gave him, was to release him from his restraints, and he did, Francis gasped with relief as his muzzle was pulled from his mouth, and Francis could finally wipe the spit from his chin and itch his beard, his hands were still trembling from the adrenaline… 

Francis sighed as he looked to the man who he held under his control, and Francis knew what he had to do, “I’m so sorry…” He whispered before looking away, and giving his victim one final order… And as Francis had commanded, the man brought the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. 

Francis couldn’t bear to look at his handiwork, refusing to give in to the temptation to feel an inkling of pride; what he had done was horrid and ugly: a sadistic side to his powers that he never knew existed… However, he knelt before the first guard to be shot, and took his gun and rummaged his pockets until he found a ring of keys, knowing that he’s going to need it for the task ahead of him.


	21. Chapter 21

Alfred and Ivan found their way past the control room, which led to another elevator, with only one floor as the destination. However, Alfred and Ivan knew that much more than this was available, judging by the odd numbers of their friend’s rooms. 

Ivan looked back down at the list to see who was in which room and it confirmed his suspicion that there were more than just one level below ground. 

Arthur: UL01-R10  
Francis: UL02-R13   
Matthew: UL02-R17   
Yao: UL01-R05  
Lovino and Feliciano: UL02-R25  
Gilbert: UL02-R20 

And Ivan still thought it was worth noting that Ludwig is supposed to be in UL01-R015 and Kiku is supposed to be in UL02-R07. Ivan didn’t want to note which rooms he and Alfred were supposed to be held in, he didn’t think that it was worth knowing, nor did he want to remember it. 

Ivan glanced at Alfred as the American took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing with concentration as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his brown bomber jacket. Ivan could see that he was trying hard to remain logical and strong, but Ivan could tell that what he did back in the control room had hurt him. 

“We’re not going to give up,” Ivan pointed out, breaking the aching silence between them. “We’re not going to give up until we have all of them, and none of us will give up when we try to fight again.” 

“But, I’m just thinking, they took control of us so easily last time, we need to think about what we can do different if we need to fight again,” Alfred explained. “That gas took us down so fast… 

“We didn’t know how strong they are. We just need to figure out how to deal with the gas,” Ivan pointed out, “We don’t have any other option than to get the others and escape.” 

“Alright, I say: fuck it, let’s go all out and take no prisoners, worry later,” Alfred muttered, running his hands through his messy blonde hair. Ivan shrugged, figuring that he’s going to accept whatever motivation Alfred has to offer, Ivan can’t be the only strong one. 

Escape is worth anything. 

The elevator doors opened to the reception area, filled with black couches, red rugs and bright lights, Ivan had to admit that he was thankful that there was no one standing behind the long receptionist desk, which stood in front of two large corridors. 

“Which way?” Ivan asked as he and Alfred looked around the reception area, thankful that no one was around, Ivan caught a glimpse into the corridor to the right, seeing that it led to a large elevator, bigger than the one that Alfred and Ivan had travelled through to get there. 

“Right, look, another elevator, perhaps that leads to where the others are,” Alfred murmured, “where do we go first, UL01 or UL02?”

“Less people are on UL01, it would be easiest if we got them first,” Ivan explained as he and Alfred walked down the short corridor towards the large elevator, seeing that when the doors opened; the elevator floor was large enough to fit at least a couple of beds. Alfred and Ivan glanced at each other in silence, both knowing what this could mean, their friends have been here, they could feel it. 

And they were going to do all they could to free them. 

\---- 

Yao knew why he had been placed underwater, and the fact that these people knew it in the first place worried him. 

Many years ago, when Yao was just a teenager, he had been practicing one of his famous electric aerobic acts, this time, the producers deemed it necessary to do it on a balance beam on top of a pool. And as he practiced, other acrobats were cooling themselves off from the heat of the summer and the intensity of rehearsals.   
Yao was balancing on the thick beam, before transferring into a handstand; he felt the electricity surge through his body, giving a light show though his legs.   
Things only went wrong for him when he transferred to balancing on one hand, he quickly lost his balance and fell into the shallow pool beneath. Even through the water, he could hear the screams of the other acrobats, as a burning and intense pain through his whole body, the pain of being electrocuted. He shook uncontrollably as he sunk to the bottom of the pool and screamed as his lungs burned from his inability to breathe. The nightmare only ended when he remained conscious enough to relax his powers. He was only alive because someone was smart enough to fish him out of the water with the plastic rod of the leaf-collector. He was lucky that no one had died, and the acrobats were only dipping their feet in. It was then that he became aware of the danger of his powers around water, not only to others, but himself. Him landing in the water while his powers were active was like throwing a toaster into a bathtub… 

And these people knew this, and knew that keeping him in water was going to keep him dormant. Yao didn’t dare to use his powers and go through that pain again. If these people knew about that incident, he couldn’t help but wonder how long these people had been interested in him, and how much they paid his coach to hand him over, like a fucking pet. Yao was still angry about it, and he knew that he would always be. How can he forgive someone who he’s worked so hard to impress, for selling him away to God knows who!? And now he’s stuck here. 

Yao felt his hair sway as he shook his head, careful to not tamper with the glass mask that kept Yao’s face connected to an oxygen tank which was fastened onto his back. Yao couldn’t move his arms as they had been fastened to his fastened to his sides in the confines of a full straight-suit, his legs were fastened together too, he felt like a mummy. He hadn’t looked yet, but he could feel that something was keeping him at the bottom of the water tank, otherwise he would be floating on the top by now.

From outside of the tank, Yao could see that there was standing room above the tank, as well as a staircase that led to a level that was in front of the tank, and then the door. 

Never had Yao felt so alone and helpless, and he couldn’t help but worry for the fate of his friends; what insane contraptions were they being kept in!? 

Suddenly Yao’s eyes widened when he noticed the shape of a head peering in through the circular hole through the door, looking at him. Yao struggled, but his fear froze him, he wanted to scream but the noise just couldn’t come out. And as quickly as the figure appeared, they disappeared, and Yao sighed, terrified of what was going to come. Are they going to do something to him now? 

Yao gasped when the door shook slightly, before completely falling from its hinges, as though propelled from the doorframe by an unnatural force. 

\-----

“We’re in!” Alfred cheered as he and Ivan walked through the door into room UL01-R05, after Alfred used his powers to force the door off its hinges. Alfred gasped when he saw the trap that Yao was in, he was dressed in a straight-jumpsuit, his arms and legs were completely restrained, and a hook at the bottom of the tank was keeping him floating, and a large mask covered Yao’s face, obviously it was feeding him oxygen. “Oh, Jesus Christ!” 

“Ok… Now we need to get him out of there,” Ivan murmured as he and Alfred walked up to the glass, watching Yao’s mouth move from inside the mask, but they couldn’t figure out what he was saying. “I think he’s happy to see us.”

“I bet he is,” Alfred agreed, before pointing to the hook that fastened Yao to the bottom of the tank, “He’s hooked down, if I can get into the tank and unhook him, we can get him out of the water and untie him.” Alfred and Ivan ran up the staircase that led onto a small ledge that ended directly into the pool, it was a viewing ledge… From above they could see that Yao had been placed in the middle of the pool, however, the pool wasn’t too big, so it would be easy to swim. Alfred first removed his bomber jacket, before removing his, glasses and blue t-shirt, before jumping into the water, creating a large splash. 

Ivan was thankful that Alfred had jumped in, Ivan was sure to avoid the water like a cat, well aware of what water did to his body. As Alfred dove under the water and swam around Yao, Ivan looked around the ledge, noticing that there was a wardrobe sitting in the corner, and when he opened it he saw a line of white lab coats and towels, and so Ivan took out all of them. 

“I can’t do it!” Alfred gasped, rising from the water, desperate for breath. Alfred gasped as he swam to the edge, “We don’t have much time!”

“But…” Ivan gasped, feeling his body tighten, “We can’t leave him!” 

“I need help freeing him!” Alfred pointed out, “I… I need someone to hold him down as I unhook him!” 

Ivan grimaced, he debated the options in front of him, before deciding that he can’t leave Yao, how would Yao feel if Alfred and Ivan just left, what if something happened to him while they were gone?! 

“Fine,” Ivan murmured as he removed his coat, before bending down to untie his shoes. Hopefully the water isn’t too bad, if he’s fast and dries himself quickly, maybe it won’t be too bad. 

“Wait, are you ok with water?!” Alfred asked, but it was too late, Ivan pitched his nose closed and shut his eyes as he jumped in the water, trying to not appear as terrified as he felt. He just kept telling himself that if he was quick and he dried himself fast, he will be fine… However, the second Ivan’s head rose from the water, he was already trembling uncontrollably. 

“W-What do w-e have to-to do?” Ivan asked, ignoring Alfred’s concerned stare. 

“Hold him down by his shoulders and I unhook his feet, he should rise to the surface and then we get him out of the tank. Are you ok?” 

“Never-mind me,” Ivan grumbled as he struggled to swim towards Yao, before grabbing onto the Asians shoulders as Alfred dove under again, Ivan pressed himself against Yao’s shoulders and pushed him down, and within seconds, Alfred unfastened the hook that kept Yao anchored to the bottom, and Yao floated to the surface. Ivan held on tightly to Yao, and swam back to the edge of the pool, his teeth chattering as he felt his body tremble and stiffen. Ivan wouldn’t have been able to get himself or Yao out of the water if Alfred hadn’t helped them. 

Instantly, Alfred removed the mask from Yao’s face and began to work on his restraints, as Ivan quickly grabbed a towel with his trembling hands, already Ivan could tell that his frostbite had formed on his face, and it was going to be even worse on his hands; he couldn’t even feel them anymore. He had to fix this, fast, he could feel his body stiffen, and it became harder and harder to move. Ice was growing along his skin, making it harder to move, never had it been this bad. 

“How did you get out?!” Yao asked as Alfred freed the Asians arms. 

“They never caught us,” Alfred explained while he got dressed and rubbed another towel through his sandy hair, as Ivan roughly patted his face dry with the towel, but it was doing nothing and his condition was only getting worse. Now he could barely move his arms, and he couldn’t move his hands at all. 

“Ivan?” Yao asked as Alfred handed him a towel, but Yao had noticed that something was wrong with the Russian. Ivan tried his best to keep moving to prevent the ice from building around his legs, he lumbered aimlessly around the platform, shivering and trembling uncontrollably. “Ivan?!” 

“Dude, you ok?” 

Ivan had to turn his whole body to look at them, but he had stumbled too close to the staircase. Alfred and Yao gasped when they saw the state of Ivan’s face, black coal-like frostbite costed his nose, lips and the corners of his eyes, and his cheeks had become unnaturally red and frosty, he looked like a corpse that had been buried in the snow. 

“IVAN!!” 

Ian finally lost control of his legs and fell backwards, tumbling down the staircase and ended up lying on the floor, trembling as the cold took over his entire body, the frostbite and ice had taken over completely. 

“I knew you shouldn’t have gone in!!” Alfred hissed as he and Yao ran down the staircase. Yao gasped as he saw the icy blue frost that coated Ivan’s chest, before Alfred covered him with a couple of white lab coats. 

“Alfred, he’s freezing!” Yao exclaimed as he tried to rub Ivan dry, but the Russian’s body had become so cold, Yao’s hands became numb within seconds. 

“SHIT!” Alfred hissed, “Come on man, don’t do this! Not now!” Alfred tried his best to join Yao in rubbing Ivan dry, even adding a fourth lab coat to blanket Ivan, but even that one had become damp. Alfred hissed when he noticed that Ivan had closed his eyes, “DON’T YOU DARE GO OUT ON US!! WE NEED YOU!!” 

“This isn’t working, we need to warm him!” Yao hissed as he pulled his arms free from the sleeves, revealing the black shirt that he had on underneath, Yao sighed in disappointment when he realised that he was still wet. He’s useless while wet, Yao grumbled to himself as he tied the sleeves of his suit around his waist. 

“Can you do something?” Alfred asked. 

“Are you crazy, why do you think they put me in water?” Yao asked, “if I use my powers while I’m wet, I’ll kill him! I’m like a toaster in a bathtub! I can’t help him!” 

“Shit…” Alfred grumbled. “Arthur…” Alfred’s eyes widened when he looked up at Yao, who was struggling to hold himself together, “we need Arthur!” 

“That’s right!” Yao gasped, “Please, find Arthur, I’ll look after Ivan.” 

Alfred nodded, perfectly understanding why Ivan needed to be looked after. He turned around to leave the room and sped down the hallway.


	22. Chapter 22

Despite being free from his prison, Francis did not feel any calmer, he stepped slowly down the white hallway, trying his hardest to step as quietly as he could. He could already imagine a horde of guards ambushing him before returning him to his cell.

He was terrified, he was terrified of his situation, as well as what he had just done. Now two people are dead because of him, and the heavy fact weighed heavily on his mind. However, he knew that the others had killed people, he saw Arthur, Kiku and Yao strike people down, it was something that he knew it was necessary in order to escape. Death was going to happen, and it’s about time Francis accepted it….

He didn’t have a doubt that the others were guarded, so he knew that he was going to have to do it again. The only problem he faced now, is finding out where his friends were being held. It was daunting, the threat of recapture and the looming fact of death filled Francis with anxiety. He held on tightly to the gun that he carried in one hand, and a ring full of keys in the other, thinking about what he would have to do if he was forced to use it. He didn’t have a clue about how to use a gun!   
What made his anxiety worse, was the fact that he had no clue where to start looking for his friends, are they close to him, are there signs on the rooms? 

“Merde…” Francis hissed, dreading the task ahead of him. Was escaping really the best thing to do, or has he just made his fate worse? 

Is there really a way for them to escape? 

But then Francis started to wonder whether the power to control people has been within him the entire time. When Francis started to lose control and was tempted to abuse Gilberts mind after looking into his memories: was that what Francis was feeling? If Francis had given into his urge, would have he controlled Gilbert? 

What could have he done with this power if he knew about it when the group first escaped? Could they have escaped earlier if Francis knew he could control people? 

But suddenly, Francis’ thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud noise, and a loud scream. 

“FUCK!!” He heard a muffled voice cry, followed by a loud bang, “COME ON! WHAT’S GOING ON!?”   
Francis froze as he listened to the voice, trying his best to figure out if it was coming from someone he knew, and where it was coming from. “WHAT IS THIS?! LET ME OUT!!” 

It sounded like it was coming from the left side of the room, and so Francis started to walk past every door to the left, peering in through the circular window of each room, checking desperately as he prayed that he wasn’t just imagining the voice. 

“HELLO!?” Francis asked, keeping an eye on the hallway, just in case if someone hears him. 

Suddenly there was another loud bang, and the door a couple of doors down from Francis vibrated momentarily, now Francis knew that he wasn’t imagining this. He ran to the door and stared into the circular window, smiling widely when he saw a familiar face staring back at him. 

“Oh God, Matthew!” Francis cried, frantically searching through the keys, and using every key against the keyhole. 

“Francis!?” Matthew asked, surprised to see his friend, “How did you get out!? Do you know what’s going on?” 

“No, no, I don’t know what this is,” Francis explained. 

“Have you seen anyone else?” 

“No, you’re the first. I’m happy that I found someone!” Francis exclaimed, trying the fifth key in the ring, sighing with relief when it worked and the door unlocked. The door opened into Matthews cell, and granted freedom to the Canadian. Matthew stood there with a wide and relieved smile on his face, however, his wrists were still linked by a pair of handcuffs. “Hang on, I think I have a key for those.” 

Matthew was like Francis, wearing the same clothes he was in when he was captured. He wore a comfy-looking red hooded jumper and a pair of black jeans. 

“Oh, thank God!” Matthew sighed as Francis picked the smallest key in the ring, and as he guessed; the key unlocked the handcuffs around Matthew’s wrists. “Thank you, thank you so much!” 

“Come on, we need to hurry, we don’t know how much time is left,” Francis explained as he and Matthew walked away from the room, and resumed Francis’ journey down the hallway, with the Frenchman relieved that he at least found somebody. 

“How did you get out?” Matthew asked.   
Francis went silent as he felt the Canadian stare at him, questioning thoughts running through his mind. And then Francis heard Matthew’s thoughts change when he noticed the gun in Francis’ hand, “Oh…” 

“It turns out I can do something that I didn’t know…” Francis sighed, finally looking up to look at Matthew, seeing that his face reflected the worried thoughts in his head. “It turns out that I can influence people, and even … take control…” 

“Whoa…” Matthew stuttered, “so you…”

“Yes…” Francis sighed, “I did something bad, but we need to remember that our freedom is at stake. These people want to do something bad to us, the fact that they are carrying guns now says a lot! They had me muzzled, and restrained and… and…” 

“It’s ok! You did what you had to,” Matthew agreed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his red jumper, “Do you need to talk about it?”

“Perhaps later…” Francis admitted, thankful that the Canadian was showing concern for him. Matthew was acknowledging that Francis could hear him think, and purposely shared supportive thoughts. Francis was happy that Matthew promised that he wasn’t going to think differently of him after this. Even Matthew has come to accept that desperate measures need to be taken when their freedom is on the line. 

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Matthew asked. 

“No…” Francis sighed, “I’m sorry, I wish I was more useful.”

“What? You are useful, you’re the first person to get out. Besides, we wouldn’t have escaped the first time if it weren’t for you,” Matthew explained. 

Matthew has a point… Perhaps Francis isn’t as useless as he first thought he was… 

After a couple of moments of silence, Francis murmured, “Perhaps you should stay invisible, for your safety.” 

“I’m fine,” Matthew replied, Francis could hear Matthew thinking, and knew that the Canadian didn’t want Francis to feel alone. While the gesture is sweet, Francis has to still consider the possibility of guards coming around the corner and attacking them. And while Matthew is invisible, there will be a higher chance that he can escape if things go sour. 

“I know, but please. Just in case,” Francis explained. Matthew sighed, seeing the logic in Francis’ decision, and becoming invisible. 

However, to make up for this, Matthew decided that he would be the one to run and check into every room that they passed. 

“None… None… None… None… None…” Matthew murmured with every check. “Dammit, how big IS this place?”

“It would help if we found a map. Did any of the rooms have anything interesting?” Francis asked. 

“Hardly, it’s all beds and stuff, just like my room,” Matthew explained, “could this place be a prison!?” 

Francis frowned, pondering over the possibility, and it just made sense… The guards, the cells, the restraints, as well as the sheer amount of rooms. “It could be…” 

“But… where are the other prisoners…?” Matthew asked. 

\------ 

“You knew that this would happen, didn’t you?” Yao asked, looking over Ivan’s chilled face. Ivan had stopped shivering a couple of minutes ago, and a thick blanket of frost had formed over his entire body. If Alfred doesn’t return with Arthur soon, Ivan could turn into ice… 

Yao sighed as he tried to dry himself further with one of the lab coats that hadn’t been used as a blanket for Ivan yet. Becoming irritated as he felt his feet become wet from standing in the puddle of water that formed around Ivan. He can’t use his powers while he is wet, that was Yao’s number one rule. And now he is hopeless because of it. He could only imagine what horrible consequence there would be for Ivan is Yao used his powers right now. It would be like throwing a toaster into a bathtub, it would kill Ivan… And that was something that Yao couldn’t risk. 

“You told me that water doesn’t react well with you, I guess now I understand why…” Yao sighed, “I don’t know if you can hear me, but Alfred is going to be back soon and have Arthur with him, I promise, it won’t be much longer. Just hold on, ok…? We can’t do this without you…” 

Yao sighed as he sat down on the last step, thankful that it was dry, he watched Ivan as he felt his anxiety creep up on him, what if Ivan can’t wake up? Can he hear him at all, “Thank you for coming back …? I’m guessing that you and Alfred weren’t caught like the rest of us, right? There’s no way you two escaped from your own cells and found me… You could have gotten away, but you came back… Thank you…” 

“Oh … God…” A new voice whimpered, catching Yao’s attention. Yao’s eyes widened with fear when he saw a guard standing in the doorway, dressed completely in black, and armed with a taser. Thank God, the guard wasn’t armed enough to kill him, however, the fact that he was here was worrying enough. “STAND UP! NOW!” he commanded, his voice sending a shiver down Yao’s spine. However, Yao could not allow himself to show this fear. He rose to his feet and positioned himself to attack, staring at the visibly anxious guard. Yao knew that he couldn’t use his powers, he wasn’t going to risk electrocuting himself of Ivan, however, Yao wasn’t sure if the guard knew this. Despite this, he was still a master acrobat… 

“TRY ME, I DARE YOU!” Yao hissed, bracing himself by acting as though he was about to attack, the guard tensed, and Yao could see that he was struggling to decide whether he should leave or not. 

And then, the guard decided that the risk wasn’t worth it and ran from the room. However, Yao could not allow this, Yao couldn’t let this guard escape and threaten to have everyone imprisoned again. Yao jumped over where Ivan laid and ran after the guard, quickly catching up with him before he could get too far away. 

Yao grumbled as the guard tried to fight him as Yao pulled him back into the room. Yao was much stronger than he looked, and pulling the guard back into the room was extremely easy, no matter how much he kicked and fought. 

However, Yao was forced to let go when the guard pulled a knife from a holder attached to his belt. But instead of running away and letting the guard escape again, Yao cartwheeled to a safe distance, before bringing his arms into an attack stance, and so, in fear, the guard started to move back towards the staircase, swearing under his breath. 

It was as though Yao was at the circus again, artistically and swiftly, his body moved in different directions as he performed his most dangerous act, fighting an armed man: without the aid of his powers. His legs and arms smacked the guard and threw him back against the stairs. He avoided the guard’s swings with poise and grace, as well as being sure to keep his distance through performing summersaults and cartwheels. He could hear his imaginary audience gasp in shock and amazement at the danger; and he hadn’t even used his powers yet. 

The guard ran up the stairs in a desperate attempt to get away from Yao, however, Yao only followed him. The guard stood close to the edge of the tank, as even the bottom of his feet were in the water. Suddenly, he pointed his taser at Yao, who froze where he stood. Yao tried to assess whether his body was dry enough to be considered safe to handle his powers, and whether he could do anything to counter this attack. 

However, before he could determine this, the guard pulled the trigger and shot the needles at Yao, and connected him to the taser gun. The needles pricked his forearm in a sharp prick of pain before the electricity hit him. Yao could feel the electricity surge through his body, like a breeze of fresh air, cleansing Yao of his anxiety and fear. Yao snatched the wires of the taser as his eyes glowed, releasing a surge of electricity through his hands, sending the electric shock back to the gun, and the man who held it. Yao watched as the guard began to shake and spasm violently as he was electrocuted, and his eyes rolled upwards as he fell back into the tank, where Yao knew that he wasn’t going to leave… Yao sighed as he pulled the needles from his arm, despite the savagery of what he just did, he didn’t regret it, for he knew that there was no other way… 

\------ 

“FRANCIS!!” Matthew cried, suddenly becoming visible as he stood in front of a door, “Gilbert’s in here!!”   
Francis gasped as he ran to the door that Matthew stood in front of, and peered into the circular window, and saw that Matthew was right. Through the window, he could see Gilbert lying down on a white bed, staring at the ceiling blankly.   
Immediately Francis got to looking for the keys, and hoped that using the same one that freed Matthew would do the same for Gilbert. 

“He sees us! He’s getting up!” Matthew explained as Francis got to unlocking the door. 

“Got it!” Francis exclaimed as he started to open the door. 

“NO!! DON’T!!!” Gilbert screamed as he threw himself against the door, closing it before Francis could open it wide enough. “DON’T OPEN IT! DON’T COME IN HERE!! PLEASE!!!”

“Gilbert, why?!” Matthew asked, as Gilbert stood up and stared at the Canadian through the glass. Matthew couldn’t understand, why would Gilbert not want to be free…? And why would he look so upset while doing it…? 

“I… Can’t…” Gilbert sighed, before pressing a small piece of paper against the window, revealing a picture of Ludwig; he was blinded by a black cloth, and trapped in concrete-straight jacket. The picture only became worrying when they noticed two guards standing on Ludwig’s sides, armed with large guns. Gilbert turned the picture over and pressed the other side of the paper against the door, revealing in handwriting ‘Don’t move.’

“They’re threatening him,” Matthew concluded. 

“They know him too well…” Francis sighed, “Ludwig is the only family he has, and he’s going to do what they want if it means keeping him safe…” 

“But… Gilbert: You can come and save him with us!” Matthew promised, staring at Gilberts sad eyes through the window. 

“I’m sorry…” Gilbert sighed. Staring at the floor as Francis took Matthew by the arm and softly pulled him away from the door. Francis knew Gilbert, he knew that there was no way he or Matthew could convince Gilbert to leave, the best they can do is save Ludwig, only then would Gilbert willingly come with them. 

“He’s not going to come until we have Ludwig…” Francis explained. 

“But…” 

“We’ll come back for him,” Francis promised, hooking his arm around the taller Canadian’s shoulders, hearing his friend struggle to come to terms with leaving his friend behind. “Please, go invisible again.” 

Despite Matthew becoming invisible again, Francis still held onto Matthew’s arm as they continue their journey down the hallway. 

\--------- 

A quiet humming noise buzzed through Kiku’s head, forcing him back into consciousness and pulling him away from the emptiness of sleep. He tried to open his eyes, but before he could see, he was forced to close them because of the force of a blinding bright light. Kiku tried to move, but the pain was excruciating… Something was wrong…   
Kiku slightly tilted his head, he couldn’t feel anything… 

Suddenly, he heard the noise a door opening, and the footsteps of people entering the room. 

“I take it that it was a success?” A voice asked. 

“Of course, it came right out,” The other replied, “His blade cracked a little upon removal, other than that; perfect quality.” 

“As soon as things return to normal, I’ll have the others take a look at it and find out what it’s made of.” 

“Good, also, there’s another thing that’s pretty interesting.” 

“Hm?” 

“It popped out of the socket, leaving a hole with a tiny piece of blade left over the bone, suggesting that the blade can grow back.” 

“It is obvious that the blades grow over time, his mother’s blades were much longer than his. If his blades grow back, it’s a good opportunity to measure the growth rate.” 

“Don’t get too excited, this is IF his blade does return.” 

“Well, the stitches will heal with time, but the scar won’t.”

“When will he be conscious?”

“At least another hour. That should give us some time to place L.B into work and collect F.V—“ 

“About that… I am supposed to be working on L.B right now… but… there’s been a complication… So, I’ve ordered that the collection of F.V be done early.” 

“Why? What do you mean by ‘complication’?”

“Come on, I’ll show you.” 

\------ 

Despite the time that passed since they left Gilbert behind, it still troubled Matthew, he didn’t like that fact that he had to leave someone behind… What if something happens to him before they come back? 

“LET HIM GO!!!” A voice roared, catching Matthew and Francis’ attention. 

It was coming from around the corner, and so they slowly crept past the corner, looking down the next corridor to see that a door was open, and that’s where the noises came from. Because he was invisible, Matthew was able to freely look inside, and what he saw shocked him. 

Lovino was against the wall, fastened in by his arms and legs, he was crying and furiously shaking against the metal plates that kept him still. He was crying over Feliciano, who was lying on a gurney in front of another set of metal plates, however, these ones were opened and the occupant was gone. Feliciano was lying down with deathly stillness, with a clear mask fastened over his nose and mouth, he had been changed into a white hospital gown, and lines had been marked across his legs. 

There were two men in the room, one had a gun fastened to his side, and they were both dressed in lab coats. One was tending to Feliciano, folding the Italians clothes; whereas the other one as checking Lovino’s restraints. 

“Don’t ignore me!” Lovino spat, “Don’t take him away! Don’t hurt him! Take me instead! Take me instead!! PLEASE!! HE’S ALL I HAVE!!”   
Despite Lovino’s pleas, the men continued to work. 

Hearing what Matthew was thinking, Francis tried to stop the Canadian from moving into the room, but Matthew wasn’t willing to stand back and watch this happen. Without a word, Matthew slowly walked into the room, confident that there was no way that the doctors could see him coming. 

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!!” Matthew cried, pouncing onto the back of the one who stood by Feliciano, who was holding the gun. Lovino and the other doctor froze in shock as the doctor screamed in fright, panicked by the presence on his back. And then Matthew punched him, and the doctor hunched over in pain, before swinging back, hard enough to knock Matthew out of his invisibly long enough for Lovino to recognise him. 

“SHIT!” The doctor exclaimed as he ran past the other doctor, making his way to the door, but froze when Francis blocked the way, his eyes glowing with power, and instantly, the second doctor was under Francis’ control. 

Matthew watched as his victim desperately shook his head, looking for Matthew, who then took the chance to creep behind the doctor and jump onto his back smashing the doctor’s shoulder with his fist and pinching the sick on his neck and face. Suddenly, the doctor grabbed Matthew and threw him away, Matthew slammed against the wall and crashed to the ground, suffering from flashbacks about his stepfather. But this time, he was not going to be defeated by it. 

He rose and tackled the doctor to the ground, becoming enraged as he threw more hard punches and kicks. He was not going to be beaten again. He no longer used his invisibility to hide, he used it as a weapon. The doctor reached for the gun, only to have it knocked out of his hand and thrown across the room. Matthew had become vicious and angry, he was no longer seeing a doctor in a white coat, he was seeing his stepfather… All of his pent-up anger and frustration was released in one more powerful punch, which knocked the doctor to the ground, unable to move… 

“MATTHEW!” Francis snapped, “IT’S DONE, HE’S DOWN.” 

Francis was right, the doctor was now lying on the ground, blood seeping from a wound on his head, and he was no longer moving. 

“Fuck…” Matthew wheezed as his head fell into his hands. 

“HEY!” Lovino cried, “Thank you! Thank you! Please get me out of this thing!” 

“Right…” Francis murmured, before looking to his victim, who was still under Francis’ mental influence. The doctor had finished waking Feliciano up, and the younger Italian was slowly starting to wake up. Suddenly, the doctor started to move again, and began to tinker with Lovino’s restraints. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine…” Matthew replied. 

“You two: how, what…?” Lovino asked, staring at the doctor who was unscrewing his restraints with a shocked look on his face. 

“We’ll explain everything, what was going on here?” Matthew asked. 

“They came in here and started talking about some medical shit, and then they put that gas on Feliciano’s face, and then took him down and dressed him in that! Look at what they’ve done to his legs!!” Lovino exclaimed as Francis and Matthew looked at Feliciano’s legs as the young Italian slowly started to wake up. Lines had been drawn all over his legs, like some kind of guide. 

“They were going to operate…?” Francis murmured before sharing a worried glance with Matthew, “This isn’t the kind of prison we first thought of…” 

“They’ve already done it to someone!” Lovino exclaimed as he stretched his first free arm, “They’re going to cut us up and look at what we’ve got inside!” 

“Shit…” Matthew gasped. 

“They… they mentioned… um…” Lovino pondered as his second arm was free, “They said that there were complications with L.B, so they’re moving onto Feliciano, doctors’ orders.” 

“Hang on… L.B…” Francis murmured. 

“Hey, are you feeling ok…?” Matthew asked softly as Feliciano slowly opened his eyes and looked around, “You’re safe now, we’ve got you. Lovino’s here too…” 

“Ludwig…” Francis gasped, “Ludwig Beilschmidt! He’s L.B!” 

“Wait… then that means…” Matthew murmured, before his eyes widened from shock of the realisation, “They’re lying to Gilbert.”


	23. Chapter 23

Arthur stared intensely at his guards as he sat, slouched forward on the floor, staring at his two guards with the eyes of a predator. He couldn’t stand the way they just stood there, completely ignoring his existence, even the one who made fun of him earlier was refusing to respond. The lack of stimulation was driving Arthur crazy, as the Englishman’s thoughts became more and more morbid as he pictured what horrid fate awaited him… 

It was not a wise idea to leave the Englishman alone with his thoughts, they ate away at him like wolves to a carcass, taking away any sense of self-worth or hope that he had left. His thoughts were his worst enemy, taunting him with his own past, reminding him of all the horrid things he’s done, and how he is powerless to save himself now. He is doomed, alone, and there’s nothing he can do about it. His thoughts slapped him with horrid memories like a whip, striking him into a state of utter depression and anxiety. 

Arthur groaned in pain as he attempted to stretch his aching and stiffened muscles, but the straight-jacket was not making this feat easy. It felt like they have used every single strap available on the jacket, as tight as possible to hold Arthur so close, he felt like he could barely breath and his hands have gone numb. 

“Don’t ignore me!” He grumbled, and the guards continued to ignore him. It seems like the guards finally decided to actually do their jobs. But Arthur wasn’t deterred, he was going to get their attention and escape his mental hell, no matter what. He doesn’t care what they do, or what they say to him, anything distracting is good enough for him. “I’m going to get out! Huh, what are you going to say about that, assholes?! I’m going to burn you alive!” Arthur focussed on the guard who teased him earlier, “come on, dickhead? Throw your worst at me! Crush my hope again; give me something!” 

Arthur’s anxiety worsened as he struggled to rise from his place on the floor, feeling his entire body ache as his legs trembled under his weight, he knew that he needed to move around a little bit before he turned into a statue. A tight pain began in his stomach and his heart began to ache, as the reality of the situation dawned on him. It was like he was back in the detention centre again, he began to shake, feeling his arms and stomach burn, he couldn’t tell whether he’s ignited his arms or whether he was just in pain. 

Arthur began to groan loudly as he banged the back of his head on the wall, anything to shake away the pain as he breathed in the smoke that escaped through the gap in his jackets collar. He felt the flames intensify, however, it wasn’t the flame on his arms; it was burning inside of him. Arthur began to cry out in a new kind of pain, he was burning.

Arthur needed to release it; the Englishman lunged forward and screamed, however; a bright flame escaped through his mouth slightly, before disappearing. Arthur paused to take a breath, his eyes wide with surprise, before he pushed himself forward and breathed out flames like a dragon. As Arthur rocked his head, the flames moved with him, effectively catching the attention of his guards who saw that the Englishman had become a flame thrower, and the jacket could no longer hold him back. 

The guards stared at him with completely shocked looks on their faces, “Fuck!” 

“Shit, get the muzzle, now!” 

“But I think they’re using it on the French one!” 

“There’s got to be a spare somewhere!” 

The second guard nodded before running out the room, leaving Arthur alone with the guard who had teased him earlier, who   
watched Arthur with his arms crossed over his chest. Arthur stared at the guard, knowing that he could easily set the man on fire if he came too close for comfort. 

“Wow…” he chuckled as he took a few steps closer to Arthur, but not close enough to be in his range, “You are a dragon…” 

“Don’t come any closer, or I’ll do it again…” Arthur growled, his voice coarse from the strain that the outburst had on his throat. 

“You can’t, look at you, you can barely keep your head up to look at me,” the guard pointed out, “You freaks just keep getting better. I really hope you don’t break quickly.” 

“Break…?”

“Yeah, soon men in white coats are going to come for you, first they’ll know you out with anaesthesia, then they’ll lay you on a table and then they’ll cut you open and see what’s inside. Now that we know you can do this; they have a new place to look at.” Arthur’s eyes widened with fear as his heart sank from the weight of the dread as the guard’s description worsened. “They’ll stich you up afterwards and bring you back here, and then the whole process will repeat itself: until they get what they want, or you die; whichever comes first.” 

“I…” 

“I think you’re fourth on the list… I’m surprised you’re not first: after that shit you pulled on level three. The Doctor is reeeeaallly mad at you over that,” The guard chuckled, “I heard that he’s not going to use anaesthesia on you, or he won’t give you pain meds after. He’s gonna make you wish you died on the operating table.” Arthur’s eyes widened with shock, unable to muster a reply, “You should have around an hour left, or less. Eventually all of you will end up on the doctors table, even the two who escaped.” 

“Escaped?” Arthur gasped. 

“Yeah, two got away from the gas. They won’t be gone for long though.” 

“They’ll get away, they’ll fight all of you!” Arthur grumbled. 

“You don’t want them to come back for you?” The guard asked, “And here I was, thinking that the lot of you had become friends.” 

“Who escaped?” Arthur frowned. 

“Not telling,” The guard teased, “I may talk a lot, but I’m not stupid.”

“But I thought that only stupid people played with fire.” 

“Leave him alone!” A new voice echoed as a new figure dashed into the room. 

“ALFRED!” Arthur cried. Alfred raised his hand to use his telekinesis, but he froze when he heard the guards gun clock into position, and pointed it right at Arthur’s head, staring at Alfred with determined eyes, as if daring the American. Alfred cursed, he hadn't used his powers fast enough, and now he was stuck in position where Arthur's life is on the line, perhaps Alfred hasn't gained as much control over his powers than he thought. 

Arthur almost couldn’t believe it, he watched with wide eyes as Alfred kept his hand in the air, trying to determine whether he was good enough at using his powers to stop the guard before he shot Arthur. He couldn’t risk losing Arthur, too much is at stake… 

“Stay right where you are…” The guard ordered as he stepped back towards Arthur, keeping the gun dangerously close to Arthur’s head, “Or your friend gets it…” 

Arthur wondered whether the guard would actually shoot him, he did just say that Arthur is going to be studied for his powers, could they still do that if he is dead? Would this guard really kill Arthur…? 

Other than that, the guard has gotten dangerously close to Arthur, he could tell that the guard has already forgotten what Arthur can do, and why getting close to him is not a wise idea… 

“What do I look like, a fucking damsel?!” Arthur hissed, before unleashing a powerful breath of fire in the guard’s direction, being sure to tilt his head in the right way; so the torrent of flames coated over the guards face. As the guard backed away screaming, Arthur followed, going far enough before the collar around his neck stopped him from going any further. The guard fell to the ground screaming, still in Arthur’s reach, Arthur could see Alfred closing the door to the cell, not wanting the noise of the man’s screams to escape the room and attract attention. 

Arthur finally stopped, gasping for air as he stepped back, watching the man writhe and groan in pain on the floor. Deciding that he was no longer a threat, Arthur looked to Alfred, who was staring at him with wide eyes. 

“Sorry it took me so long,” Alfred chuckled. 

“It’s ok…” Arthur murmured as he took a few steps towards Alfred, before feeling the collar tug at his neck, “Please, get me out of this thing…” 

“Right!” Alfred exclaimed as he ran to Arthur, and quickly fiddled with the collar around Arthur’s neck, before realising that it was simply fastened by a couple of buttons at the back. Arthur sighed with relief as the restraint was released, and he finally didn’t feel the irritating material wrapped around his neck. 

“Thank you…” Arthur sighed as Alfred placed his hands on Arthur’s sides, feeling the straight-jacket and trying to figure out how to free Arthur from it. “It’s tied at the back.” 

“Thanks,” Alfred muttered as Arhtur turned around, letting Alfred inspect the fastenings on his back. 

“So… You got out?” Arthur asked. 

“Yeah, Ivan and I weren’t caught in the gas, we’ve got Yao out too, but there was an issue with Ivan, we need your help,” Alfred explained. 

“What?” 

“He’s freezing, he can’t move now. We need you to heat him up,” Alfred explained. 

“Oh God… I don’t know…” Arthur murmured, “How bad is he?”

“Bad, the guy’s nearly turned to ice, and it’s getting worse…” Alfred grimaced as he pulled and tugged on the fastenings of Arthur’s jacket, slowly freeing Arthur’s arms. Arthur frowned, trying to think about whether he could fix that situation, he does know that he can heat his hands, maybe that will work to heat Ivan. 

“I’ll try my best,” Arthur promised, before smiling, “Thank you for coming back…” 

“Hm?” Alfred muttered, before realising what Arthur had said, because he was concentrating so hard on Arthur’s jacket, “Of course we were gonna come back! We can’t leave you guys like this.” 

“How much of the conversation did you hear?” Arthur asked. 

“A little, I heard him tell you about the escape: it was Ivan and I,” Alfred admitted. 

“Well, the situation is worse than we thought, they’re operating on us, they’re going to see what gives us our powers!” Arthur explained.

“I know, there was a file upstairs, it had profiles on all of us!” Alfred explained, “There was even a group before us.” 

“What?!” 

“But… They’re all dead…” Alfred admitted, and at this admission, Arthur gasped. “That is why we can’t let them catch us again, we’re gonna die if they get what they want from us.” 

“Oh Christ…” Arthur grumbled, seeing that the situation was worse than he thought, before he sighed with relief when Alfred finally undid the last restraint on Arthur’s jacket, letting the Englishman’s hands fall free to his sides. “We better go fast, there’s another guard returning with a muzzle—“ 

“He’s not coming back…” Alfred grimaced. Arthur turned around to look at Alfred, to see the hurt on the Americans face, and Arthur instantly understood what Alfred had to do. 

“Oh…” Arthur muttered. 

“Yeah…” Alfred murmured, avoiding Arthur’s stare, “I don’t like the idea of taking lives, but because of the situation we’re in, I think that our need for freedom outweighs my… well, preference.” 

“Don’t worry, I get it. You saw how much damage I caused outside…” Arthur pointed out, “If you ever need to talk about it, I’ll be there…” 

“Right, thanks.” 

\-----

Ludwig rocked his head from side to side, feeling the world sin around him. He knew that he was under some kind of drug, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t use his strength. However, he could feel the heat of an intense light, and could feel that he was lying down on a cold, hard surface. But then he felt something sharp run across his skin, but was unable to break through. 

“Shit, that’s the sharpest scalpel, see what I mean: it took three needles to even get a blood sample! And the wound is gone!” The doctor hissed, “This is a complete failure, he’s starting to wake up and our strongest scalpel can’t even break his skin. We need to push forward the other operations and wait for more tools to come. Is F.V secure?” 

“They’re still collecting him.” 

“Any word from security?” 

“I haven’t--“ 

“Fucking hell, have someone go and check!” 

“Everyone who’s here is either prepping for F.V, caring for K.H or guarding. The telecommunications and internet are out because of the fire set by A.K.” 

“Urh, I can’t wait to have that little shit on my table, I have a lot of important shit up there. He’s number four, isn’t he?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Have him collected, he’ll go right after the Italian. How’s K.H?”

“Still recovering, hasn’t woken up yet.” 

“As soon as he stands, have him taken back to his cell, and run a routine check on all of the others.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Heh, this thing between Ludwig and Gilbert is fascinating… They both have completely different powers…” 

“Could Gilbert’s albinism have something to do with that?” 

“I thought about that… But even then, their powers are not even remotely similar, as soon as we get Gilbert’s blood we should compare them… Heh… Perhaps they’re not as related as first thought…” 

“Do you want me to contact their mother?”

“No, leave them out of this, their blood will tell us all…” 

“Sir… are you ok? You’re shaking…” 

“Those two that are missing are getting on my nerves… the others haven’t come back yet. I’d understand that if it were the Italians or the Canadian who escaped, but no, it’s just those two: surly they couldn’t outrun a car.” 

“Don’t worry, sir. I’m sure they’re on their way back now.” 

“They fucking better be.” 

Ludwig grumbled, struggling to make sense of what was going on around him; trying to regain some form of consciousness.

“Sir, he’s going to be awake soon.” 

“Get him back into his restraints and back into the waiting room, and give him another dose to keep him still.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Fucking hell. He’s going to destroy my drug-supply, and I can’t even cut him open.” 

Ludwig couldn’t help but shudder at these words as he felt something be pressed against his face, making him breathe in some more gas. 

“He can hear you.” 

“I know,” the doctor chuckled, “But he won’t remember a thing…”


	24. Chapter 24

Feliciano still felt dizzy as Lovino helped him get dressed. The last thing he remembered was that men in white coats came into their room, and put a gas mask on Feliciano’s face… And now he is waking up, Lovino is free too, and Matthew and Francis are with them too. 

“What’s going on….?” Feliciano asked softly as Lovino scrunched up the leg of Feliciano’s pants, even using his speed to help the process, and get Feliciano dressed as quickly as possible. 

“We’re getting out of here,” Matthew grumbled, “We’re going to get Gilbert next.” 

“This is worse than we thought…” Francis grimaced, “They’re operating on us, they were trying to take Feliciano.” 

“And they’ve already taken Ludwig… We need to get Gilbert out of that room and find the others, before anyone else gets taken.”

“Lovino, did they mention anything else?” Matthew asked, “Francis, did you have a chance to search their thoughts?”

“No, I wasn’t really interested in what they had to say…” Lovino grumbled as he helped Feliciano button up his white shirt, as Feliciano slowly became more and more poised and in-control. The gas was losing its effect on him quickly. 

“I didn’t have the chance… It would have taken too long, English or French aren’t their native languages,” Francis sighed as he stared to the last doctor, whom Francis had commanded to use the gas on himself. He sat against the wall with the gas mask strapped to his face, breathing in the same gas that they were forcing Feliciano to breath in earlier. 

“Ok… Our group is slowly growing bigger…” Matthew sighed. 

“So, where is Gilbert?” Lovino asked. 

“Not too far away.” Francis replied, “He didn’t come with us because these people were threatening him with Ludwig’s safety.” 

“How…?” Feliciano asked. 

“To stop Gilbert from escaping, they left him with a photo of Ludwig being restrained with armed guards, with the words ‘don’t move’ written on the back,” Francis explained. 

“He believes that if he leaves that room, they’re going to hurt Ludwig: they’re lying to him,” Matthew grumbled. 

“I’m not shocked,” Lovino muttered, “They have all of this elaborate shit set up, no wonder they’re playing mad scientists with us, and doing whatever they can to keep the most dangerous restrained,” Lovino pointed out, “I was honestly thinking that Gilbert would be the one to escape first.” 

“Mm…” Feliciano nodded. 

“They know his weakness is Ludwig,” Francis pointed out, “We need to tell him what’s going on and get him out of there as soon as possible!” 

“How are you feeling?” Lovino asked Feliciano, noticing that Feliciano was slowly swaying from side to side as he stood, slowly trying to regain his balance. 

“I…” Feliciano murmured. 

“We need some more time, please, don’t leave without us,” Lovino explained as he turned back to Matthew and Francis as Feliciano sat back onto his gurney, rubbing his face. 

“Don’t worry,” Matthew promised, “We’re not separating anymore, as soon as we get Gilbert, we are going to find the others and leave no one behind.” 

“Let’s just hope that they don’t get to him before we do…” Francis muttered. 

\----- 

Alfred was quick to lead Arthur back to where Ivan and Yao remained waiting, since he knew exactly where he was going this time, and didn’t have any distractions to slow him down. He was happy to see that there was no one walking around when he reached the hallway where Yao’s first room was, and quickly, he and Arthur had run into the room. 

Ivan had gotten immensely worse since Alfred left. All colour had left his body and the frostbite had spread down his neck. Ivan laid completely still on the floor, trapped in his own frozen prison. Alfred couldn’t help but like him to a corpse discovered in the snow. 

“Holy fuck…” Arthur gasped. 

“Thank God, you’re free!” Yao gasped as he jumped up from his seat on the staircase, “he’s gotten so much worse, and the floor around him is wet!” 

“Oh God…” Arthur muttered as he slowly walked towards Ivan, inspecting the Russian, “I… I don’t know if I can do this…” 

“Please, just try…” Yao begged as Arthur pulled off the coat that was used to blanket Ivan, horrified to learn that the coat had completely stiffened from the ice, so much so that it retained its shape perfectly. Arthur fell to his knees beside Ivan, rolling up his sleeves as he looked down at the Russian, seeing that a layer of ice covered his entire chest. It was worse than Arthur pictured.  
Arthur could tell already that Ivan would die if this isn’t fixed. His eyes barrows in concentration as he rubbed his hands together, still trying to decide how he was going to handle this. 

“Yao…” Alfred murmured, catching Yao and Arthur’s attention, but the American was staring at the water tank, where he had noticed a body slowly sinking down… 

“I had no other option…” Yao sighed. 

“No, I get it. I get it. Somethings need to be done, our lives are at stake here…” Alfred sighed, Arthur’s eyes narrowed, seeing that Alfred is pushing himself… However, Arthur quickly turned back to Ivan, and knelt forward to hover his forearms over where Ivan laid frozen. Arthur took in a deep breath as he settled himself, trying his best to relax and control the intensity of his heat as he started a small flame on his arms. Feeling the warmth radiate from his skin, he knelt a little more to get closer to Ivan. Arthur stared intensely at the section of his chest that was closest to Arthurs arms, trying to figure out whether it was working. It was then that Arthur noticed the ice was starting to melt away, and Arthur could feel the floor he sat on getting wetter and wetter, soaking his legs. 

“I think it’s working!” Arthur gasped, spreading his arms over Ivan’s body, slightly intensifying the flames. Arthur then lightened the flames as he brought his hands to Ivan’s face, wanting to fix the frostbite on his face. Arthur’s glowing hands lightly traced around Ivan’s cheeks, carefully watching him. A smile crossed Arthur’s lips when he noticed the frost melting from Ivan’s face, and some colour was returning to the Russian’s body. It’s working! It’s really working! 

“Thank God…” Yao sighed. 

“I think this is actually going to work…” Arthur gasped, “The ice is melting. I think…” Arthur frowned as he looked at Ivan’s face again, to see that the Russian was frowning, and his mouth opened slightly as he gasped slightly. “Wait… I think somethings wrong…” 

“Arthur! GET BACK!” Alfred cried as he grabbed Arthur by the shoulder and pulled him back as Ivan suddenly jolted and gasped in pain, Alfred pulled Arthur back as far as he could and held on tightly as Ivan released a scream as he sat up from off the floor. All the water around Ivan suddenly turned into ice again, and as Ivan opened his eyes, the ice on the floor shot up into sharp spikes; sharp enough to have hurt Arthur if he remained there. Ivan’s eyes shot wide open as he sucked in a deep breath, revealing that his eyes had been glazed over by a layer of frost, clouding them to a terrifying degree. 

“IVAN!” Yao cried as the trio stared at the Russian with horrified expressions. 

“Should I keep going?!” Arthur asked. 

“I don’t think it’s safe to touch him right now…” Alfred murmured, still refusing to release his grip on Arthur. 

Ivan remained sitting upwards as he slowly began to blink, curiously as he slowly started to move again. Arthur knew then that his intervention had worked – Ivan was coming back from his frozen trap. 

“Ivan, can you hear us?” Arthur asked.  
Ivan nodded the movement of his head causing some of the frost to fall from his hair, as he slowly started to stretch his shoulders, closing his eyes tightly as he hissed. 

“That was awful…” He grumbled. 

“Are you ok?” Yao asked, “Can you move?”

Ivan opened his eyes again, revealing that they had returned to normal, but then he frowned when he saw the spikes of ice that had formed around him, protecting him. He was surprised, he never knew that he had this kind of power lying within him, and he knew that this could be used to his advantage… 

“Just give me a minute…” The Russian grumbled, before turning over to look at Alfred and Arthur, smiling sweetly, “Thank you, Arthur.” 

\------ 

Francis, Matthew, Lovino and Feliciano ran down the hallway, determined to get to Gilberts room as fast as they could, with worry and anxiety writhing in their stomachs: all praying that they were not too late to save Gilbert. 

“GILBERT!!” Matthew cried as he ran into the door into Gilberts room, thankful that it had remained unlocked.  
To everyone’s relief, Gilbert was still in his room, sitting on the bed with the photo in his hand. Gilbert jumped with fright when he saw the others entering, but his eyes widened when he realised that Ludwig wasn’t there. 

“Gil, come with us! Fast! They’ve got Ludwig!” Matthew cried. 

“We need you to help us save him!” Feliciano explained. 

“They are operating on L.B! It’s Ludwig!” Lovino added. 

“WHAT?!” Gilbert snapped, before slowly peering over to the security camera that was positioned to the top corner of the room, Matthew could see what Gilbert was thinking about. 

“If they were really watching us, wouldn’t have they acted by now?” Matthew asked. 

Gilbert frowned before he jumped from his bed, ready to fight, “Where is he?” 

“That’s the problem, we don’t know,” Francis sighed, “All we know is that these people are experimenting on us, and they’ve started on Ludwig.” 

“Look,” Feliciano muttered as he rolled up the sleeves of his pants, slowing Gilbert the lines that the doctors had drawn on his legs, “They were trying to take me too.” 

“God…” Gilbert gasped, crumbling. “Alright, I’m coming with you.” 

\----- 

After Ivan regained his ability to walk, the group finally left Yao’s room and started to make their way down the hallway, cautious of any attention they may attract, especially after all of the efforts to free Arthur.  
Thankfully, Alfred remembered the way that he and Ivan took to find Yao, so now they just had to make their way back to the staircase and head to the second level, where they knew that the rest of the group was waiting. 

No one wanted to think about what challenges could be awaiting them down there, and what sacrifices will have to be made in order to save the others. At least the security cameras didn’t show anything too elaborate. It was only the guards with Francis that posed as a risk. And there’s also the fact that the doctors are collecting them. What Arthur had told the group shook them, and made Alfred nearly want to be sick. The fact that a guard had told all of this to Arthur just to make him suffer angered Alfred greatly. It wasn’t like being trapped here was bad enough; now they have punishments awaiting them if they get caught, as well as horrid experimentation. 

No wonder the last group died… 

“Are you feeling ok?” Yao asked, still cautious over Ivan, as he still couldn’t get the haunting image of the freezing Russian out of his mind. It worried him. 

“I’m fine,” Ivan replied, “Just… this is unsettling, where are the guards?” 

“Arthur and I took care of two of them,” Alfred admitted, “And the file said that only a small number of us are supposed to be guarded, and the security cameras only showed guards with Arthur and Francis.” 

“So, what else did that file say about us?” Yao asked. 

“We’ll try to snatch it when we go back upstairs again, but there were pages with photos and info about all of us!” Alfred explained, “Like, it has where we came from, little bios, histories, notes about our powers and even the conditions we should be contained in! It’s nuts!” 

“Oh…?” Arthur asked. 

“Yeah, Arthur, yours was the first we saw! It had your mugshot and everything!”  
Alfred only realised that he had said something wrong when Arthur's demeanour changed completely, the Englishman froze as his face tensed, as though he was struck hard by the fact that Alfred knew about that. Arthur's pain was now obvious.

“Your what?!” Yao asked. 

“Leave it!” Arthur snapped, his cheeks burning slightly as all eyes fell to him, “Not like any of that means anything now!” 

Alfred sighed as he realised his mistake, Arthur wasn’t as open about his past as Alfred expected him to be, but then again, he did come from a youth detention centre: and Alfred could only wonder what Arthur did to get in there, “Shit, sorry dude. It’s all good.” 

Yao sighed, “Well… Since we all know something big about your past… Then… I think you deserve to know that I came from the circus…” 

“Hm?” Arthur murmured. 

Yao smiled softly, looking at Arthur, “I performed for that Theatre company for years, training almost every day and using my powers to create a light show for an audience… I made that Theatre and circus famous and turned in huge profits for them. They would have closed if it weren’t for me drawing crowds in with my powers.” 

“What happened?” Ivan asked. 

“My coach sold me… Like cattle…” Yao sighed, “I didn’t know I was considered property… I was lied to and made to believe that I was being offered a chance to go somewhere else, they tricked me into thinking that I had a choice and that I chose to go with the man. But in the end… I guess I didn’t have a choice at all.” 

“Oh…” Arthur muttered. 

“I ran away from home when I was fourteen,” Ivan admitted, “Because of my powers… I believed that I was making my little sister sick, and as I got older I got colder and I couldn’t hide it anymore. So I ran away and lived in the coldest city in Russia… I thought that I could just work and hide my powers, since I worked in a factory, I had to wear gloves. If I kept quiet I believed that I could live in peace and not worry about my powers ruining this opportunity. But… Eventually my frostbite was noticed by people, and when they tried to help me, that’s when my powers were discovered. No matter what the doctors did, they could not fix me. They had figured out that my body generates freezing cold instead of warmth. Then that’s when these people found me, and took me here… I didn’t even fight them, I didn’t know what else to do.” 

Arthur eyes widened when Alfred spoke, “I was fostered a lot as a kid, but because of my powers, my foster parents kept sending me back. Some thought I was cursed, haunted, even demonic: some couldn’t even last three months with me. I was adopted and returned so many times, I barely remember some of them. My powers were so bad back then, and I didn’t understand why it was happening to me. For years I was convinced that it wasn’t actually me that made the things move; I thought that a monster lived inside me and was making it happen.” 

“That would have been awful…” Yao pointed out. 

“Oh yeah, it was confusing and terrifying as fuck. Before I got used to it, I’d start crying whenever something happened,” Alfred explained, “But eventually I accepted that it wasn’t going to go away… I just had to learn how to deal with it.”

Arthur frowned as he scratched the top his head, keeping his eyes to the white floor. He did admit, he felt a bit better knowing that he wasn’t the only one with a dark past. And Arthur also knew about what happened to Alfred’s parents…  
And so Arthur decided to come clean about another thing, “In about a year I would have been moved from the youth detention centre to an actual adult prison.” 

“Oh…” Alfred gasped. 

“And… because of my powers, I think you can guess what put me in there in the first place…” Arthur admitted. 

He wondered whether he should tell the others anything else… But in the end, he decided to keep his mouth closed, he wasn’t ready to tell them that he burned down his family home, with everyone still inside. 

“HERE!” Alfred gasped as he stared at a large blue wooden door. “There’s the door!” 

“Oh thank God,” Arthur gasped as the group ran towards the door, where Alfred easily opened it and let the group into the concrete stairwell. Arthur almost couldn’t believe that everything was going so well. 

“Ok, so the others should be down here, according to the list anyways,” Ivan explained as they walked down the stairs, Ivan was the first to reach the door at the bottom of the staircase. “I say we get in and get out, let’s not linger. We need to move fast.” 

“Right,” Yao nodded as Ivan opened the door, surprised to see that the hallway on the other side of the door was nearly identical to the one upstairs. Unsettled, the group left the stairwell and started to walk down the hallway. 

“Do you remember which room was the nearest?” Alfred asked. 

“No… the list was in my pocket when I jumped in the water, sorry,” Ivan sighed. 

“It’s fine, we just need to be on the lookout,” Yao replied, “It’s a good thing we’re all strong, if they try to catch us here, they’ll have a hard time.” 

Suddenly, the noise of voices echoed from around the corner, making the group freeze and brace themselves for the fight that could be coming sooner than any of them anticipated. Bracing themselves to fight, they crept to the wall and pressed their backs against the wall with Alfred at the front, hearing the voices come closer. Until…

“Wait…” Alfred frowned, recognising the voices, right as someone walked around the corner, “FELICIANO!” 

The two groups jumped in fright at the sudden reunion, even Francis was caught off guard, since the others stood just outside of his radius. 

“You all got out too!!” Gilbert cheered. 

“This makes our job a lot easier,” Arthur chuckled. 

“We’ve just come to rescue you,” Ivan admitted.

“Heh, now we only have to rescue Ludwig and Kiku!” Alfred pointed. 

“Oh God… They have Kiku too…” Matthew sighed as Francis gasped, instantly locking eyes with Alfred. He slowly walked towards the American, his eyes wide with shock. Then he looked at Ivan as well, listening to both of their thoughts, and where he could see their memories. He was seeing it, the file, the guards, the cameras, the facts… the other group. “Oh God…” Francis slowly turned his head to look at Matthew, who was already staring at the Frenchman with an anxious glare. “It’s way worse than we thought.”


	25. Chapter 25

The Italians were running ahead of the group, scouting for any signs of danger that may be waiting for them in the hallways, they quickly reached the staircase that Alfred and Ivan had told them about, and everything was fine… Scarily fine. 

After a fast nod, the brother entered the staircase and zoomed up the staircase, running all the way to the top. Flying into the reception area that Alfred and Ivan told them about, this is where they decided to stop, seeing that there was no added security since Alfred and Ivan were last there. Perhaps no one knows that the group are breaking out… 

This kind of scouting mission reminded Lovino of the lives he and Feliciano lived in Italy, before they were taken away. He remembered the times that he and Feliciano were used as tools of reconnaissance and intimidation, especially when Capo would make them run beside cars as they sped away, smashing in the windows with bats and crowbars. Lovino could still remember how loudly people screamed when they saw Lovino smash in their car windows, while they were driving away at high speed. 

Of course, it wasn’t always like that. Since he was the eldest, Lovino remembered their grandfather better. The man was tall and strong for his age, with not a single grey hair in sight, and he knew how to steal the attention of anyone in the room, by they an enemy or a friend. But he was still incredibly loving behind closed doors, and despite him knowing what his grandchildren were capable of, he refused to use them, instead he protected them. He did not want them to see the evils he conducted behind closed doors, or the people who had to suffer because of the choices he made. He made sure that his grandchildren were looked after and that their abilities would not be exploited. He only trusted Capo with the secret of what his grandchildren were capable of. 

However, that all changed when he disappeared, of course Feliciano and Lovino were not told why, they were told that they ‘were too young to understand’, despite the fact that they were no longer small children. To this day, they still don’t know what happened to their loving grandfather, but they have their suspicions and those suspicions call for revenge…

Capo had originally been their grandfathers second-hand, whom had always known about the brother’s powers, and respected their grandfather’s choice to shield them… at least until he disappeared. He had the brothers be taught how to hold and shoot guns, and how they could use their powers for intimidation. They became secret weapons for the Mafia, but somehow, the man in the suit convinced Capo that something else was worth more than that. 

“Everything’s so quiet…” Feliciano whispered as he looked around the dark office, “this area is so… official looking, there’s seating and everything… How many people do you think worked here?!” 

“I don’t like this, there’s going to be a trap! We’re all going to be stuck in that hell hole again!” Lovino grumbled. Lovino stared at the broken screens with narrowed eyes, he couldn’t stop wondering about just how large of an operation this is, and just what horrors will be awaiting them when they try to leave again…   
He was also still shaken by the fact that he nearly lost Feliciano, and he was hopeless to stop it from happening. It was so easy for them to take Feliciano away, and they would have done horrible things to him if Matthew and Francis hadn’t found them when they did. 

“You look tense,” Feliciano pointed out. 

“How are you not tense?!” Lovino asked. 

“Because I know that we’re going to get out this time,” Feliciano pointed out confidently, sending a shiver down the spine of his pessimistic brother. 

“I just… I don’t know, you saw what they did last time…” Lovino grumbled, “How are you not terrified right now? I remember when Capo would adjust his gun in his holster and you’d start crying: how are you calm?” 

“I… I don’t know… I feel like we’re going to have a better shot this time, and we’re going to work together this time. Besides, one of us has to remain hopeful.”   
Lovino sighed quietly, impressed by his younger brother’s conclusion, and impressed by his bravery. 

So now that it was clear that the biggest task at hand was finding Ludwig and Kiku. And so Feliciano and Lovino quickly fetched the others and told them that the coast was clear. 

“Yeah, this is the place!” Alfred explained when everyone entered the reception area, he then pointed to the second hallway that stood to the left of the desk, “the only place we didn’t check was there.” 

“So, would it be safe to assume that Kiku and Ludwig are in there?” Yao asked. 

“Anything is worth a shot,” Gilbert grumbled, “They better not have hurt him… Or I swear…” At the end, Gilbert’s voice broke, and Matthew sighed as he placed a supportive hand on Gilbert’s shoulder. 

“So, some of us should stay here, while the rest look for Ludwig and Kiku,” Ivan proposed. 

“But splitting up isn’t a wise idea, they could be closing in on us…” Francis pointed out.

“But we can’t lose the ground we’ve just covered, what if they come in here while we’re in the hallway there?” Arthur agreed, “I’ll stay.” 

“I’m looking for Ludwig, and anyone who wants to come with me is welcome, we don’t have a second to lose!” Gilbert snapped as he started to walk across the room, making his way to the hallway on the left.   
In the end, it was Gilbert, Matthew and Yao who were going to focus on finding Ludwig, and Francis and Alfred focussing on finding Kiku whilst Arthur, Feliciano, Lovino and Ivan stood as guards in the reception. 

\----- 

The hallway was set up exactly like the one to the right, but this time, instead of leading to one place, multiple doors lined the walls. Gilberts eyes narrowed before he looked to Alfred and Francis, “you two check the left, we’ll look through the right.” 

After nodding, the groups silently parted as they started to check through all the doors that lined the walls. Gilbert grew more tense as he noted how the doors were labelled. The ones labelled THEATRE, led into a small but well-lit room equipped with an operating table and a table full of surgical tools. By the third room, Gilbert was sure that he was going to be sick. But as each room was revealed to be empty, Gilbert felt his anxiety turn into frustration. 

“Alfred and Francis are gone…” Yao pointed out, “they must have found something.” 

Seeing Gilbert’s visible frustration, Matthew promised, “Gil, we’ll find him…” 

Before he answered, Gilbert opened a door labelled RECOVERY, which revealed a quiet small room with a bed and a bedside table, as well as a cupboard which Gilbert assumed to have supplies. A figure was lying in the bed, with a large concrete straightjacket overing his entire torso. 

Gasping, Gilbert dashed to the figure and leaned over the bed, and to his relief: his suspicions were confirmed, “LUDWIG!!” 

“Oh my God,” Matthew gasped as he and Yao joined Gilbert into the room, “We actually found him.” 

“Ludwig!” Gilbert gasped, his voice breaking as tears formed in his eyes, “Wir warden gehen, aufwachen… Bitte… Bitte…” 

“At least he’s ok, he doesn’t look hurt,” Matthew pointed out as he and Yao glanced at each other, they both were so unsure of what to do, and Gilbert was panicking. Ludwig grumbled incoherently as his head tilted slightly, Matthew could see that he was struggling to wake up, something was keeping him weak. 

“What the fuck did they do to you…?” Gilbert stuttered as Yao walked around the bed, standing at its head so he could look over Ludwig’s face. Ludwig was trapped in something that resembled a straight jacket, but made of tough concrete. 

“I think he’s been drugged,” Yao pointed out, “He’s disorientated, sleepy…” 

“They’re making it so he can’t use his strength, as soon as we get this off him, we could move him to the reception area,” Matthew explained. 

“But how?” Gilbert asked. 

“Maybe he can break it…” Yao muttered as he placed his fingers on Ludwig’s head, “He is awake, but he just has no control. If I wake him up for just a second, he could break the trap…” 

“What are you going to do?!” Gilbert asked, staring at Yao with wide eyes, before finally understanding what Yao was thinking, “But what if you hurt him!?”

“Gil, it’s worth a shot, it will be fine,” Matthew promised as he took Gilbert by the shoulders and guided him away from Ludwig and Yao, “keep looking at me.” 

“But! If it hurts him!” Gilbert snapped, but he didn’t fight Matthew as Yao rubbed his hands together, preparing to deliver a shock. “He’s all I have, please be careful!” 

Yao narrowed his eyes as he stared down at Ludwig’s face, not even he was sure if this would work in the way he hopes… All he can do is hope. They can’t wait for Ludwig to wake up on his own, so this is worth a shot. Yao lightly traced his fingers around Ludwig’s temple, before suddenly, he delivered a quick shock.   
Ludwig shook violently and jolted upwards, before falling back onto the bed, still struggling to wake up, but the progress was obvious, he was groaning in pain. 

“I was supposed to look after him…” Gilbert cried, struggling to fight the urge to stop Yao from delivering a second shock. 

“You have been,” Matthew pointed out, “You didn’t leave your cell because you wanted to protect him.” 

“But he’s still been hurt, they lied to me,” Gilbert grumbled, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Matthew, “I—” 

Gilbert was interrupted when Yao shocked Ludwig again, and this time, Ludwig screamed as his arms shot outwards, pulling the concrete straightjacket into two pieces that hung by his arms. Gilbert couldn’t hold himself back anymore, he pulled himself away from Matthew and turned back to Ludwig, immediately checking if he was ok as the younger German fell back onto the bed, heaving and wheezing as his hair stood on edge. Ludwig was still shaking, but at least Gilbert could see that he hadn’t been seriously hurt.


	26. Chapter 26

The second the door into the first recovery room opened, Alfred and Francis froze where they stood. Kiku was lying quietly on a bed, his eyes tightly shut as someone stood by his bed, writing things onto the clipboard. The man hadn’t yet noticed Alfred and Francis’ presence until the door closed behind the pair. The man immediately pulled a small handgun out from his lab coat, and with an unsteady hand he pointed it to the pair, facing his back to Kiku. 

“Y-you’re not supposed to be out! What did you do?!” He asked. 

Alfred glanced at Francis to see that the Frenchman was already studying the man and collecting all the information he could from him. However, before either of them could physically act, Kiku slid out of the bed and kicked the man to his knees before pressing his wrist against the man’s back, wheezing in pain. The gun was released and slid away from the pair. 

Kiku’s eyes were blackened with fury, he growled in his native tongue, nearly bringing the man to tears.   
Suddenly, Francis gasped loudly, putting his hand over his mouth as he looked to Alfred, “His arm… The operation…”

“Hm?” Alfred muttered before his eyes widened, seeing that something had happened to Kiku, only one of his arms were free, because the other was tightly strapped across his chest in white dressing, like he had received a wound. “Kiku!” 

Kiku looked up at Alfred and Francis, finally acknowledging their presence, before he quickly snapped at Francis, “WHAT DID THEY DO TO HER?!” 

“Kiku, calm down!” Alfred urged, lifting his hands as he tried to walk towards the distressed pair, but Kiku only became more frantic. 

“THEY’VE DONE SOMETHING TO HER! What did they do to my mum!?” Kiku sobbed, “They spoke about her blades! THEY’VE DONE SOMETHING TO HER!” 

Alfred looked back at Francis, seeing that Francis was already working on it, his eyes narrowed as they glowed brightly, and Francis’ face remained perfectly still, until he gasped loudly. 

“WHAT?!” Kiku cried, digging his wrist deeper into the man’s back. 

Francis sighed, “He knows. He wasn’t there, but he knows of it… It…” 

“WHAT HAPPENED?!” Kiku cried, his knees shaking as the first tears started to flow, even Alfred was frozen in place. 

Francis stumbled, his eyes still glowing as he struggled to keep going. His hands tightened into fists, but he kept speaking despite the trembling that developed throughout his entire body, “It’s how they learned what to do with you, they took her blades. Mistake. Arteries… Blood… Kiku, I… I’m so sorry… I’m so, so sorry…” 

Kiku’s eyes widened with the realisation of what Francis was meaning, at this point, the man was crying from fear as Kiku froze. Suddenly, a horrifying noise echoed through the room, as Kiku released his blade, sending it through the man’s back and out through his stomach. Alfred closed his eyes and turned away, heaving from the brutality of the sight. 

Alfred could not bear to look as he heard Kiku retract his blade and scream, but he couldn’t help himself, he turned around to look again as Kiku screamed as he slashed his blade against the wall, effortlessly cutting through the plaster and concrete. 

“Shit! Kiku!” Alfred gasped, bracing himself to step in, however, Kiku suddenly froze in his pose. He stood as still as a statue with a blank look on his face, before his blade retracted and he slowly lowered his arm. Alfred frowned, Kiku was just suffering a breakdown, how has he suddenly become so calm? 

However, Alfred’s question was quickly answered when he looked to Francis, seeing that his eyes were glowing and he was staring at Kiku. Alfred quickly connected the dots. 

“Dude, what the fuck?! Are you controlling him!?” Alfred asked. 

“He’s going to hurt himself, I’m only keeping him still,” Francis answered. 

“Whoa!” Alfred gasped, taken aback by this aspect of Francis’ abilities, “How long have you been able to do that?!” 

“Alfred, please don’t get upset, I’m doing this for his good,” Francis explained. 

“No, you can’t just control someone!” Alfred snapped, “How long have you been able to do this?” 

“I just learned it, I promise. This is the last time I intend to do this to someone in the group, he is going to hurt himself,” Francis explained. 

But, Francis could hear Alfred’s thoughts: Alfred understood what Francis’ new ability meant, it meant that he could easily take control of anyone, and that means anyone in the group. Francis was now a much more powerful member than what was first thought. And he shouldn’t be underestimated. Alfred already knew the extent of Francis’ powers when the Frenchman searched for Alfred’s memories, and now that extent became much wider, and concerning. 

“Alfred, you know me… This is for Kiku’s own good, he’s already lost a blade today… He just needs to calm his thoughts...”

“But… You can’t just…” Alfred stuttered, before seeing that there is valid reasoning behind Francis’ actions, but the fact that his friend is capable of this unsettled Alfred nonetheless. 

Alfred turned his attention to Kiku, seeing him stand as still as a statue, but Francis’ powers failed to control the look of terror and pain in his deep brown eyes. Alfred could see, and understand, the pain that Kiku was feeling, and the rage triggered from all of it. He’s lost someone he loves because of something that was beyond his control, and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. Alfred understood how this felt, and didn’t doubt that many members of their group could too. But now, Alfred knew what to do. 

Alfred slowly walked towards Kiku, before wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug, closing his eyes as he tightened his grip, Alfred whispered, “We’re going to get these bastards, I promise, for everything they’ve done…. All we can do now is remain strong.” 

Finally, Alfred felt Kiku’s muscles relax, and release a deep sigh as his shoulder started to tremble. Francis had finally let Kiku go, and he could finally relax, and Francis silently joined the hug, surrounding Kiku in supportive arms. 

Francis could hear what Kiku was feeling. Kiku continued to cry as images of his mother flooded his mind, she was all he had. She taught him respect, strength and dignity, and now she was taken away from him. Years of isolation and protection built him into who he is, and now the removal of the blade and the death of his mother brought more weight to his aching heart.

Until the noise of someone opening the door into the recovery room broke the silence, “We need to …. Oh…” Matthew muttered, sighing at the sight before him, and he didn’t have to ask about what happened before he arrived. 

\------ 

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Gilbert asked as he and Feliciano helped Ludwig take a seat on the long red leather couch. 

“Let me grab him some water,” Feliciano muttered, before dashing to the watercooler and filling a plastic cup, and running back to the brothers, which all happened within less than a minute. 

“Dizzy…” Ludwig commented, “I don’t know… I’m better than I was before…” 

“At least you’re out of there…” Gilbert muttered, running his fingers through Ludwig’s hair, relishing in the fact that his youngest brother was ok. Feliciano smiled as he looked up at Yao, who was watching the trio. 

“How did you know that shocking him would work?” Feliciano asked, curious about whether what he had heard was true.

“I… Ugh…” Yao stuttered, glancing to the floor to avoid Gilbert’s stare. 

“You didn’t know, didn’t you?” Gilbert asked darkly, to which Yao nodded. 

“It was an educated guess,” Yao admitted, “I wasn’t going to damage him if I believed it wasn’t going to work.” 

“You’re lucky it did…” Gilbert whispered. 

“Kiku!” Arthur cried as he ran down the hallway, seeing Alfred help Kiku walk, with Francis and Matthew following them. Alfred’s eyes widened when he saw the look of despair in Kiku’s eyes, and the bandaging around his arm, seeing that it had been strapped completely to his chest, like a tight sling. “What did they do to you…?” 

“He needs water,” Francis explained, “Is Ludwig ok?” 

“He’s fine,” Arthur explained as he and Francis started walking towards the watercooler, before Arthur looked back to Alfred, “Set him down next to Ludwig.” 

Lovino narrowed his eyes as he continued to search through the receptionist desk. He moved along the long desk and opened every drawer, and he was left disappointed each time with only the discovery of notepads, calculators and stationary. Until he opened the middle drawer and stared at a piece of paper, frowning it as he lifted it in order to read… 

“I think I found something!” Lovino exclaimed, breaking the silence induced by Kiku’s pain, Lovino frowned as he continued to read the paper, “Someone drew a map, there’s a lobby, a staffroom a car park…” 

“Can it help us?” Ivan asked. 

“I don’t know,” Lovino muttered, looking up from the paper to see Francis staring at him, deep in thought. 

“Wait, it could be useful,” Francis pointed out. 

“Well, if you think so, you should hold onto it then,” Lovino replied, handing the piece of paper to Francis, “It’s not even that clear.” 

“What are you suggesting we do?” Arthur asked. 

“We should let Ludwig and Kiku rest, there’s no way they’re ready to go out there. Ludwig is slowly getting his strength back, and Kiku…” Feliciano explained as he rested his hands-on Ludwig’s shoulders, allowing the German to stretch forward and touch the floor with his fingers. Feliciano glanced over to Kiku, sighing when he saw the pain in Kiku’s eyes. The Italian wanted nothing more than to run over and tackle him, smothering him with hugs and promises that everything was going to be ok, however he questioned whether it’d help at all, besides, he knew that Ludwig would fall to the floor if he were to lose Feliciano’s support. 

“But we can’t stay here for too long, surely, they know that something’s wrong now,” Ivan explained, “They could have an army outside…” 

“Can we really go through a fight again…?” Alfred sighed, “Even with our powers they still knocked most of us out with that gas.” 

“But a fight is inevitable, we just need to figure out how…” Yao sighed, “and what then? What do we do if we get out? We don’t even know what continent we’re on!” 

“He’s right,” Ivan admitted, “We don’t even know if we can get out.” 

“I say that we deal with one thing at a time, right now we should focus on not letting them gas us again,” Arthur pointed out. 

Francis frowned as he glanced over at Matthew, whom sat silently on the couch across from Kiku, before looking to the map again, his mind occupied with ideas and plans for escape. He lifted his head again to address the rest of the group, “I think I have an idea…”


	27. Chapter 27

“Do you really think we can do this?” Matthew asked, his eyes widening as he stared at Francis. 

Francis felt the rest of the group fall silent, but they continued to walk up the staircase, even Alfred and Arthur went silent as they led the way to the security hub that Alfred and Ivan spoke about. Even after Francis explained the ‘plan’ he had, everyone was still scared of what was ahead of them. Francis knew exactly what everyone was feeling, and understood all of their individual fears and insecurities over the situation. 

Alfred, Arthur, Yao and Ivan were worried about relying on their abilities, which were fundamental to Francis’ ‘plan’, as were Gilbert and Matthew, whom also had crucial roles to play. Gilbert was also worried about Ludwig, while the younger German could walk on his own, he still had a disorientated look in his sky-blue eyes. Even Ludwig was worried about this too. Feliciano and Lovino were worried about what terror was waiting for them outside of the building, they understood how prepared these people are, and what they’re willing to do, more than anything; they were afraid of being captured and separated. 

And Kiku… Kiku felt despair to a concerning degree, he knew that he would be thrown off balance because of his missing blade. But he had completely accepted that if he died out there, he will go down in a blaze of glory, and will take as many of those bastards down with him as he could. Vengeance was on his once peaceful mind. 

While he may have looked peaceful on the inside, Francis was feeling the fears of everyone around him, plus his own. Internally: Francis was a pathetic mess. But he can’t let the others see that.   
Even though Francis can’t promise anything, he knew that he should at least do his best to calm their anxieties, “I don’t know. But what I do know is that we’re stronger as a team, they took us down so easily last time because we did not work as a single unit, and we did not use our powers in the smartest way. We’re wiser now, and now we have a plan. If they see that we are coordinated and are aware of our combined power, they will be at least scared shitless.” 

“But my main concern is the gas…” Alfred muttered before turning back to look at Francis, walking backwards up the staircase, “I don’t know if I can handle it, I understand your plan, Francis, but I’ve never done anything like it.” 

“Yes, you’ve never done it. But anything is worth a shot,” Francis replied, “Just focus on the gas, Arthur will cover you.” 

“I’ll make a ring of fire…” Arthur whispered as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his black fleece jumper, before glancing at Alfred, “I will be running around you constantly, only an idiot would try to break through. I promise.”  
Alfred smiled at Arthur’s promise, his anxiety was put somewhat at ease, at least a little bit. Francis could definitely see the bond forming between the two, they were both completely alone in the world before coming here, and so they were drawn together in likeness, and Alfred happened to like Arthur a lot, despite his past, the two young men were linked by tragedy and the guilt from the loss of family. In fact, Francis was happy to see a bond being made between the entire group, so many people from different parts of the world, united because of one goal: survival. 

Everyone in the group was still anxious over the fight they had before them, and they hadn’t even reached it yet.

Francis glanced at Ivan, feeling his pain and need of support. Even if Francis couldn’t understand the Russian’s language, he could hear the tone of the voice inside Ivan’s mind, and knew he needed help. 

Seeing Francis’ face, Ivan admitted, “If I fail in my part of the plan: Arthur will go down, and then so will everyone else. And I’m not sure if I can do what your plan is asking me to do…”  
Francis nodded, however, he saw Alfred, Arthur and Yao’s memories of what happened when Ivan was frozen by his own ice. Francis knew what Ivan was capable of, and he knew that Ivan was capable of stopping the pressure hoses that their captors had used on the ‘water vulnerable’ members of the group. 

Francis was going to reply, but Yao beat him, placing his hand on Ivan’s shoulder, “Just trust yourself, you saw what you did and I know you can do it again.”   
Francis smiled, seeing another special bond being formed.

“Hey…” Francis heard Gilbert whisper, as he reached his arm over Ludwig’s shoulder, as the younger brother stared at his feet, “How are you feeling?” 

“Better,” Ludwig admitted. 

“I’ll stick by him,” Feliciano promised, smiling at Gilbert.   
Good, Gilbert trusts Feliciano to keep that promise. God, there were more bonds than Francis anticipated, it elevated his hope greatly. 

Perhaps they really do have a shot of making this plan work. 

Finally, the group reached the level of the staircase with a sign that read ‘LOBBY’, they had made it, and through the open door they could see the mess that was the lobby of the facility. It was awfully quiet, too quiet. 

Matthew turned to look at the others as he made his way to the front of the group. Quickly he turned invisible, and the entire group waited in daunting silence. 

“Kiku, do you think you’re ok to do this right now?” Feliciano whispered. 

After a dark moment of silence, Kiku slowly lifted his head to stare at the concerned Italian, “I can’t let my anger become me… I have to do this now. I’ll be fine.” 

Francis was relieved to hear multiple members of the group think at once, all pledging to watch out for him during the fight. It was the kind of support that gave Francis so much joy.   
Suddenly, Matthew turned visible again as he stumbled back into the stairwell, with a terrified look on his face. 

“Ohhhh God, there are so many out there…” Matthew quivered, shaking as Gilbert tried his best to prevent the petrified Canadian from falling to the floor. “Oh fuck, oh fucking fuck. And they saw me, there are those guys with the infrared glasses. They know we’re here.” 

“There’s no avoiding it now…” Lovino sighed as Matthew wheezed loudly, trembling with fear, despite how hard Gilbert tried to keep him still, even Alfred tried to help, rubbing Matthew’s shoulders. 

Francis saw Matthew’s memory, and knew that Matthew had every right to be scared. There were a lot of them, all weapons were aimed at the glass doors that led into the lobby, armoured cars lined around the guards and there were probably even more guards were behind them. The group was about to enter the line of fire, and it was a daunting sight. 

Francis caught on to Arthur looking at him, and the Englishman could see the fear in the Frenchman’s eyes, Arthur could tell that what Matthew had seen was bad. 

“How bad is it?” Yao asked. 

“Bad…” Francis admitted. 

“But… But… We can’t pretend that there’s any other way around this,” Matthew pointed out, freeing himself from Gilbert and Alfred’s support, “We have a plan and we should stick to it. I couldn’t tell what kind of weapons they have.” 

“Would they really try to capture us again?” Feliciano asked. 

It was a question that no one wanted to answer. But in the back of their minds, everyone couldn’t help but wonder… They had already tried to escape, what would these people do to them now, especially since the group has managed to break out after being recaptured. Would their captors kill them this time? 

Kiku finally broke his silence, “What else do we have to lose?” 

It was a sad reality that everyone had to face at some point. What else do they have other than this fight? And if they lose, then at least they tried, but if they win… 

“Let’s get this over with,” Ivan sighed. 

It was Kiku who left the stairwell first, his bravery consuming him as he walked towards the entrance. He was the one who had lost half of his powers, and only one arm works right now, he ignored the pain of the arm that was wrapped tightly in bandages and strapped across his chest. He was ready to face the doctor that took his blade, and give him exactly what he deserved, he no longer cared about the risks to his life. 

However, he wasn’t alone for much longer, Feliciano and Ludwig stood by his side first, only be joined by everyone else. Like a team they stood at the entrance, standing tall with each other in support, they were prepared to give everything to their escape, and this time they understood the threat that stood in the way of them and their freedom. Unlike last time, they had a plan. 

The sight before them was the might of the entire organisation. Rows of guards stood at the foot of the marble staircase, armed with heavy weapons. But quickly the group focussed on the one figure with an unprotected face. He stood in the middles of a line of large black armoured cars, which acted as a barricade. It was him, the man who orchestrated this whole thing, everyone in the group knew who he was, and it reminded them of why they need to escape now, or die trying.   
The sight was intimidating, but not enough to waver the team’s bravery, they were ready to face whatever was in front of them. 

Francis closed his eyes, whispering to Arthur who stood next to him, “I have one of them… Be ready on my signal.” 

“What?” Arthur asked, before remembering about Francis’ new ability, “right…”

Finally, the doctor spoke into a megaphone, his voice booming, “We are done with giving you chances, this time, we will show you no mercy!!” 

“Neither will we!” Kiku hissed, unleashing his single blade. 

“NOW!!” Francis roared as his eyes shot open, revealing their glowing white light. Suddenly, a guard on the opposing side turned to his colleagues and began to fire his weapon, under the Frenchman’s powerful influence. 

Arthur leapt forward, fire roaring from both of his arms and his mouth, as Ivan and Yao ran by his sides, but slightly behind. Alfred followed, getting behind the trio, forming a diamond shape, before Feliciano and Ludwig ran by his right side, and Lovino and Gilbert ran by the right. Kiku kept behind Alfred, but was covered by Matthew and Francis, as well as his mental prisoner. The group was now covered from all angles, and were working as a single unit. 

Their final fight for freedom launched with flying colours, everyone knew that there was no turning back as they got into formation, they were either going to be free, or die trying.


	28. Chapter 28

With the plan in mind, Arthur continued forward, breathing and shooting fire like a raging dragon, determined to throw away all that stood in his way. Arthur was ruthless, all the pain and anger that he had been bottling up for years was released in powerful and deadly flames, that not even the fireproof uniforms of the guards in his way could withstand. 

As expected, there were guards armed with high-pressure hoses, all aimed directly at Arthur. Arthur could feel the bruising that littered across his entire body stung at the sight of the hoses and the hissing of the water at they started the spray. But before the water could touch Arthur, he stopped the flames and swapped positions with Ivan. Ivan was ready to go; his gloves were off and his frostbitten hands were exposed to the elements. The frostbite had also spread to his face, blackening the skin around his nose, lips, eyes and reddening the pigment of his cheeks, he could have been mistaken for a corpse left in the snow. 

Ivan screamed as the water collided with him, Ivan prayed that his surprise skill would return to help him now as it did the first time. And he was right, upon connection with his hands, the water turned to solid ice, and travelled all the way back to the high-pressure hoses. With his eyes glossed over in ice, Ivan thrusted his hands upwards, and the ice shattered into hundreds of sharp and lethal pieces, of which all brought the guards to their knees, or to their ends…   
This was amazing, the plan was working! Now it all depended on Alfred and his ability to control the gas. Their entire escape plan hinges on this working.

The moment arrived sooner than anyone anticipated, the familiar hiss of a gas dispenser filled the air, and Ivan, Arthur and Yao parted to left Alfred dash in front of them, with his hands at the ready and his eyes glowing. Alfred could see the canister flying towards him, already releasing the thick green gas. Alfred begged the small child inside of him to let this plan work, everyone is counting on him right now, and he can’t let them down! 

Alfred watched as the canister hit the ground before him, and already the air was starting to taste bitter, he activated his powers and instantly caught the air around the canister and held it in position, like the canister was trapped in an invisible barrier and the air was locked inside. The group disbanded and Alfred watched as Arthur kept his promise and formed a ring of fire around Alfred, forcing any approaching guard to back away. 

“I WILL BURN THIS PLACE TO THE FUCKING GROUND!!” Arthur roared as he ran around his creation, reinforcing the powerful flames. 

Francis’ objective was to find the Doctor, the American behind this all, he held the answers to their escape, as well as to their capture in the first place. If only Francis could get close enough, he could control him… He’d find out all that he’d need to know, and it would be the perfect opportunity for everyone to get some much-needed revenge. With his mental victim as cover, Francis ran through the chaos, using his victim to shoot down anyone who got too close, but despite his searching, Francis could not find the Doctor… 

Kiku stumbled as he ran, struggling to keep his balance because of his missing blade, he knew that he was going to have an even harder time trying to fight properly. But he was not going to let that stop him, he swung his working blade at anyone he could, and he still maintained the strength to be a deadly force. He also maintained his anger, but refused to let it overcome him, he knew that his mother would not want him to become a monster, he was a warrior. 

Ludwig was sure to keep an eye on Kiku, following close behind, and he was relieved to see that Feliciano and Lovino would occasionally dash past before running another lap around the grounds. 

Ludwig snatched one of the armoured vans, and lifted it from the ground, he roared as he through the heavy-duty vehicle towards a group of guards. Gilbert smiled as he teleported to stand next to Ludwig, seeing the chaos his little brother has caused. 

“That’s got to be a record of yours,” Gilbert chuckled. 

“I stopped a train— I don’t think anything will ever beat that,” Ludwig pointed out. 

“That’s fair,” Gilbert shrugged, before disappearing again into a cloud of black smoke. 

Feliciano and Lovino ran past Gilbert’s dwindling smoke and Ludwig, moving so fast they looked like blurs, knocking guards to the ground before firing on them. Finally, for once the brother’s skills were being put to the use that they didn’t protest to. With perfect symmetry, the brothers dashed past each other and shot, becoming faster and faster with every lap of the grounds. They were not going to stop until everyone who wronged them was on the ground dead. 

They were going faster than they ever had before, running so fast they were nothing but blurs. But it felt like something was wrong… 

“Feli!” Lovino cried, catching Feliciano’s attention, Feliciano screeched to a halt, Feliciano looked at Lovino with widened eyes, feeling the same anxiety as Lovino. 

Lovino looked around them, seeing that the world around them had started to slow down so dramatically, it looked like time was moving slower around them. Lovino realised quickly that the brothers could use this to their advantage, he and Feliciano walked around the slow-moving figures who were fighting against their friends. Lovino’s eyes narrowed as he found himself staring at a bullet mid-shot, realising that it was on a perfect path to Yao’s shoulder. Lovino stared at the bullet, watching it glide through the air in a perfect straight line, Lovino then looked to Yao. Yao’s eyes glowed with fury as his powerful lights shocked at least five guards around him, but he had no clue of the approaching bullet. Lovino chuckled as he pressed the bullet between his fingers before tilting it towards the ground, completely changing its direction—Yao will thank him for it later. 

“Hey! Lovi!” Feliciano chuckled, pointing to Ludwig, who was holding another armoured car above the ground, the Germans face reflected his furious determination, “Look at Ludwig’s face! He looks so funny!” 

“Oh my God, now is not the time!” Lovino hissed.

The brothers continued to run around and cause mayhem, however, something still felt wrong, slowly, Lovino started to feel his body begin to wear-out. Lovino stumbled towards Feliciano, seeing that he was struggling as well. 

“Everything hurts…” Feliciano whimpered as he walked into Lovino, letting him help hold Feliciano up at his own expense. It was then that Lovino realised as his muscles started to ache and struggle to hold him up, they had been going too fast for too long, and their bodies were starting to shut down. Finally, Lovino’s knees gave up on him, and the Italians fell to the ground, panic setting into them as they heard the world around them begin to catch up to them. “Lovi…” Feliciano whimpered, becoming increasingly worried. 

“It’s ok…” Lovino promised, as he noticed a guard looking at them, raising his weapon. The reality dawned on Lovino as he looked down at his little brother who laid across his lap, completely unaware of the approaching danger. “It’s going to be ok…” Feliciano glanced at the guard, seeing him moving towards them, moving slightly slower than real-time.

“Shit… We need to move…” Feliciano whimpered. 

But they couldn’t, they certainly couldn’t move fast enough to run, they needed rest, even just for a few minutes… 

Suddenly, the world returned to normal speed, and the familiar bang of a gun echoed. Instinctually, Lovino pushed Feliciano down and fell over him in a pathetic attempt to shield him from the oncoming assault.   
However, nothing happened to them, Lovino opened his eyes and looked up to see a tall figure standing between them and the guard. 

Feliciano pushed himself upwards to see, “LUDWIG!” 

Ludwig’s muscles tensed as he felt a sharp pain in his stomach where the bullet hit him, and to his relief, the bullet fell to his feet after failing to penetrate his stomach. Of course, Ludwig was only acting on a hunch, he wasn’t 100% sure if it would have worked… But he knew that they couldn’t operate on him for a reason, and now he knows why. Now Ludwig knew that he had to act, Ludwig quickly turned around and knelt before the brothers and picked them up, throwing Feliciano over his shoulder and tucking Lovino under his arm, hearing Kiku take care of the guard that tried to shoot the Italians. 

“What the hell just happened?!” Lovino yelled, “You just got shot!!” 

“I wasn’t shot, I was hit by a bullet, you should be thanking me!” Ludwig replied as he started running. 

“Thank you, Ludwig!” Feliciano chirped as he patted Ludwig on the back. 

Suddenly, Kiku caught up to them, his one blade soaked in fresh blood, “How are you managing?” Ludwig asked. 

“I’m fine,” Kiku replied, “This battle can’t go on for much longer, their numbers are faltering… I spoke with Francis, he can’t find the Doctor, he must have gone into hiding.” 

“Bastard…” Lovino hissed as Ludwig and Kiku ran past Matthew, who removed his invisibility and lifted a gun off the ground to shoot down a guard who was chasing them. 

Matthew sighed as he watched the guard fall, he knew that this night was going to haunt him for the rest of his life; it’s going to haunt everyone. However, he wasn’t going to run and hide, despite his anxiety begging him to.  
Matthew stepped back, only to bump into a figure, who calmly placed his hands-on Matthew’s shoulders before leaning in and saying.   
“Now’s our chance, are you with me?” The older German asked. 

Matthew glanced at Gilbert, nodding, “Yes.” 

Ivan watched as Gilbert and Matthew disappeared into black smoke, he smiled as he watched a group of guard’s approach him, in a pathetic attempt to corner him. 

Ivan stomped on the drenched ground, turning the water around him into ice. The ice shot from the ground and formed a wall of sharp ice-spears, swinging his arms, Ivan made another wall of ice-spears that were aimed at the guards. He hesitated for a moment, questioning his humility, before remembering that if they fail tonight, he will die. And so, with another gesture of his hands, the ice shot at the guards, impaling most of them instantly, and seriously injuring the remaining ones. 

Before Ivan could dwell on what atrocity he had committed, Yao pushed himself through a gap in Ivan’s ice barrier. The Chinaman looked exhausted, glowing lines decorated his arms as the power surged through him, it was a log battle and Ivan was happy to see the one of the good friends he has made is doing so well. 

“I saw Gilbert and Matthew go, I think they’re acting out the plan, pass it on.” 

“I came here to stay with you, are you ok?” Yao asked. 

“I’m fine,” Ivan answered as he noticed more guards gathering on the other side of Ivan’s ice barrier, Yao noticed the same thing on the other side. The Russian and the Asian stood back to back, ready to fight together. 

Meanwhile, Alfred retained his heavy focus on the canister before him, the gas formed around it, trapped within the invisible barrier that Alfred created. Alfred debated how far he could through the canister, and whether he could throw it far enough to eliminate the danger. He fought the urge to release the canister and join the fight, as he struggled to stand back and listen to Arthur scream with fury and curse in madness over the powerful roar of his flames. But he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the canister, because he couldn’t risk losing control of it, and ruining everyone’s chances of escape. 

His arms twitched, as he struggled to hold the canister still, and maintain the invisible barrier that kept the building gas and the pressure inside. He wasn’t going to be able to hold it much longer, he needed to get rid of this, now. 

Mustering the courage, he tightened his hands into fists and looked to the sky, before swinging his arms and sending the canister flying as far as his ability would allow, Alfred watched with fear as a line of gas followed the canisters path, but it wasn’t close enough to cause any damage, and because so much of the gas had already been released into the ground before Alfred let it go, it was not going to cause any damage to the group. 

Finally satisfied that he had done his job, he looked to Arthur to see the Englishman already staring at him, in a brief moment of eye contact, Alfred found himself thinking about what they’ll do if they do manage to escape, perhaps even Arthur was thinking the same. But then, their eye contact was ruined when some guards got too close to Arthur’s fire wall, and he pounced into action.

Arthur roared once again, breathing fire like a dragon, burning alive the guard who was foolish enough to get too close, by this point, he had been breathing fire for so long, it started to hurt his throat. 

Suddenly, the guards around Arthur were thrown away because of Alfred’s powers, finally, Alfred had joined the fight, and almost instantly, he became a target. Any guard who shot at Alfred found themselves being hit by their own bullet, as Alfred would stop the bullet before it hit him, and sent it back to them with terrifying precision. 

Something caught Arthur’s attention… In the corner of his eye he noticed a familiar shade of white, Arthur finally focussed on the object, quickly realising that it was the doctor, the man who oversaw this whole operation, making his way towards the entrance of the facility. 

Arthur’s anxiety told him that something was wrong, the doctor looked at him as he jogged up the stairs, with a stare that said, ‘come and get me.’   
But Arthur’s rage engulfed this anxiety in flames, and it overtook Arthur’s better judgement, Arthur burst into a sprint and ran towards the entrance of the facility as the doctor ran in. 

Alfred looked back in time to see Arthur run, but didn’t understand what was going on, he thought that they were supposed to stick together, and this gave him an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach, what made It worse was the fact that Alfred couldn’t follow him because of the guards, so all he could do was scream, “ARTHUR!! ARTHUR!!! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?!?! ARTHUR!!!”


	29. Chapter 29

Matthew looked down at the lazily drawn map again, frowning as he leaned in to show Gilbert, who was also staring at it with an equally confused glare, “Maybe we should go back and start again?” 

Gilbert frowned, “I don’t think we have the time, the others are relying on us to be quick…” 

“Well, it’d be better for us to get it right be right instead of getting it wrong and starting all over again,” Matthew pointed out. 

Gilbert sighed as Matthew let him take the paper from his hands, “I think we may need to go downstairs, if we see some kind of breakroom; at least we’ll know we’re on the right track.” 

“Right…” Matthew sighed. 

“I want to stop thinking about this map, we’ve already gone around in a circle,” Gilbert grumbled, letting Matthew take the piece of paper back. 

“Well, why don’t we talk about something else?” Matthew asked, “You never told me where you and Ludwig were from in Germany.” 

“We were born in Leipzig, but then we moved to Berlin after our parents learned about our powers,” Gilbert explained. 

“Oh, yours didn’t like them either?” Matthew asked. 

“Not in the slightest…” Gilbert chuckled, “After they saw what we could do, they decided that we weren’t their kids anymore…” 

“I’m sorry,” Matthew replied, “But… I kinda know what that’s like…” 

“Don’t tell me yours kicked you out too?” Gilbert asked. 

“Not exactly,” Matthew replied, “My mom had me younger than most women do, and she raised me alone and we were just fine. But then she had to marry an absolute asshole excuse of a man and let him suddenly treat me like crap.” 

“What you do about him? Did you use your powers?” Gilbert asked as he and Matthew started walking down the staircase, hoping to arrive on the level that the map displayed. 

“Oh hell yeah, as soon as I discovered them, I started doing this thing I called ghosting, where I’d go invisible and throw shit around and do poltergeist stuff just to get a little bit of my self-respect back. I had a great time. Until they learned it was me…”

“Oooh.” 

“Yeah.” Matthew sighed, “And a little bit after that—I don’t know how he did it, but somehow my stepdad got into contact with these people, and practically handed me over to them. Mom didn’t even try to fight it as I was taken away.” 

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Gilbert sighed, “I really am.” 

“No, it’s fine!” Matthew promised, “Just… we all have our own demons to deal with…” 

“Would you go back to Canada, if we get out?” Gilbert asked. 

“Well… I don’t know what else I’d do… I don’t know what… I haven’t even thought…” Matthew stuttered. 

“You’re welcome to stay with Ludwig and I. We’re not even sure of what we’ll do, but we’ll think of something,” Gilbert explained.

“I’d like that,” Matthew replied, “But honestly, my hope is that the entire group sticks together, when are we ever going to meet any other freaks like us?” 

\----- 

Arthur leapt into the lobby, watching the doctors white coat disappear through the staircase door. His mind was engulfed with rage, and his arms were engulfed in flames as he sprinted from where he stood and followed the doctor up the stairs. 

“BASTARD!” Arthur roared as he ran up the stairs, ignoring the exhausted ache of his muscles as he pushed himself to run up the stairs and chase the doctor as he ran through the door to the second level. Arthur followed him the doctor onto the level which was a large office, filled with desks and filing cabinets and with one wall being entirely made out of glass, looking out to the courtyard bellow, where the fight continued. Arthur was still unsure how he felt about this situation, and his anxiety slowly began to creep up on him and he soon came to realise that something was completely wrong. He tightened his hands into fists as he narrowed his eyes at the doctor, realising that there was nowhere else for the doctor to run, Arthur had him trapped. 

“Do you have any idea what you’re a part of…?” The Doctor asked, “For years, men and women have slaved away in the pursuit of greatness.” 

“Greatness? You’ve created a prison!” Arthur spat, “Alfred and Ivan told us about the files, there was an entire other group before us, and they’re all dead! We’re not animals, and we aren’t going to die so you can play mad-scientists!” 

The doctor smiled, “If you have something great presented in front of you, you’re going to find out why… That first group was full of wonders, and we are sad that we didn’t understand what we had until we lost them. Imagine it, a Hungarian girl who could levitate up to ten feet from the ground, an Austrian boy whose scream could make your ears bleed, a Spaniard whose hands could rip through walls, a Swede who could speak to the dead, and so many more. Oh God, I loved them all so much, just like how I love all of you.” 

“Love? You’re a sick fuck who doesn’t know what he’s doing.” 

“Heh, I should have expected that you’d be the biggest pain in my ass out of the entire group. Hell, when you burned the third level I wanted nothing more than to put you on my operating table and pull your guts out as you watched. But then again, I should have expected this behaviour from you… This building isn’t the first building you’ve destroyed…” 

Arthur’s eyes widened as he drew in a deep breath, not willing to let the Doctors words get to him… 

“We received so many reports regarding you…” The doctor explained, “The youth detention centre had to order in guards from an adult facility just for you, on top of that straight-jacket they made you wear. You’d still burn people and threaten to set fire… I’m honestly astonished, you murdered your whole family but yet you still persist with your powers.”

Arthur wanted to snap at the doctor so badly, and remind him that it wasn’t a murder, he never intended to hurt anyone! And he pays the price for it every day. 

The Doctor seemed displeased by Arthur’s silence, “Hm, perhaps finally making some friends has done some good for you, hopefully Jones won’t die out there because you left him alone.” 

At this statement, the Doctor finally got a reaction from Arthur; he gasped when he realised his mistake and the consequences that may come with that. 

“Nonetheless, I hoped to get so much more out of your group. Honda has already offered a piece of his puzzle…” 

“You stole his blade and murdered his mother… How is this going to solve anything?!” Arthur snapped. 

“Can’t you see, I want to know what gives all of you your powers!” 

“And you’ll kill us to get it!! Which makes this entire process redundant!!” 

“Not if I figure out how to multiply it…” The Doctor replied with a sadistic smile. 

“You don’t know what your messing with…” 

“I don’t know?!” The Doctor hissed sarcastically, his demeanour becoming more and more fractured as he spoke, “I could give an analysis of all of you better than Bonnefoy ever could!” At Arthur’s confused frown, the Doctor continued, “You really have no clue who large this whole thing is… I know everything about you, about ALL of you goddamn freaks! You don’t know how much fucking work has gone into this! I interviewed every guard who’s ever handled you! I’ve interviewed every family who’s ever adopted Alfred F. Jones! I’ve interviewed the victims of Francis Bonnefoy! I’ve seen Yao’s shows for years! I found Kiku Honda’s father and siblings! I interviewed Matthew Williams’ mother and stepfather! I interviewed Gilbert and Ludwig Beilschmidt’s parents! I interviewed the victims and family of Lovino and Feliciano Vargas! I found Ivan Braginski’s sisters! I know so much more about you than you will ever understand, you freaks have been my passion for years, and I am not about to let you walk all over me!!” 

At first, Arthur thought he was terrified of the Doctor, but then he remembered what he and his friends are fighting for, and how he cannot give up now. “We may be freaks, but we’re not your playthings!” 

“…. Fine…” The Doctor grumbled, pulling a large knife from a pocket underneath his coat. In response, Arthur ignited his arms, reminding the doctor of the force that stood before him. Arthur thought he had the upper hand, after all; the Doctor had brought a knife to a fight with a literal flame thrower. However, the Brit froze when he watched the doctor run the knife over his wrists, drawing out a river of blood. Confused and scared, Arthur stepped back a little, unsure of what was happening. 

However, as the blood poured from the gaping wounds on the Doctors wrists, it didn’t drop to the floor like normal blood would, instead it gathered in his hands, like he was holding it… The doctors head shot upwards to look at Arthur, revealing his frenzied eyes, Arthur shuddered as the doctor started to shake. Arthur instantly regretted his decision to come alone. He watched the doctor lumber forward, as though his body had become stiff, finally he let go of the blood that collected in his hands, and two long whips dropped to his feet, remaining connected to his wrists. The doctor smiled, allowing lines of blood to escape from the corners of his mouth, giving Arthur a sickening feeling in his stomach. 

This terrifying man wasn’t like the others who trapped Arthur and his friends here, he was a freak… just like them. 

The Doctor continued to grin at Arthur, watching in amusement as Arthur struggled to keep his brave-face.  
“Let’s dance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry that this is a short one! I'll get back into the swing of it soon!


	30. Chapter 30

Arthur gasped at the sight in front of him, the doctor’s powers matched his intentions: his arms were stained with the grotesque sight of excessive blood, his blood clots becoming whips, and as Arthur watched, he could see the whips start to move on their own. The sight made him want to throw up… 

But, Arthur persisted, he was not going to let the doctor sit with him in silence, nor was he going to allow the doctor to have the first move. Arthur’s arms erupted into flames as he dashed at the doctor, setting everything he ran by on fire, lighting the room with his warm glow. Arthur smiled as the doctor moved away and started to run, and Arthur gave chase, starting to throw flames from his mouth. 

“You little shit!” The Doctor hissed as he swung his arm at Arthur, where his blood-whip stretched to reach Arthur. Arthur screamed with fright at the whip knocked him back, knocking the breath out of him as he was sent flying across the room, breaking multiple desks along the way. But he couldn’t rest for long; he screamed when he saw one of the whips slither from underneath a desk and wrap around his ankle, before suddenly yanking him under the desk, and towing him along as the doctor laughed. 

“FUCK YOU!” Arthur roared, realising that the doctor had pulled him into his range, so then Arthur roared flames, making the doctor throw back his arms to avoid the burn. Feeling the blood-whip release Arthur’s ankle, he got up from the floor and continued to throw flames at the doctor. However, he failed to see another whip sneak up on him, and strike Arthur across the head, cutting off Arthur’s flames long enough for the second whip to take Arthur by the legs and lift him off the floor, hanging him upside down. Arthur looked to see the doctor staring at him, walking towards him as the long blood-whip held Arthur upside down, but Arthur could still see the twisted smile on the doctor’s face, seeing blood even drip from his eyes and nose. 

“Look at you, so much power: but you barely know how to use it…” He chuckled, “You’ve done worse in your sleep!”   
And with that, the doctor threw Arthur across the room again, but this time it was the wall that caught Arthur, creating a large crack. But it wasn’t long until the blood-whip wrapped around Arthur’s torso, and throwing him against the window, creating a large crack. 

Arthur screamed in pain as the whip let him fall to his knees, “You’re like us! Why are you doing this?!” 

“Why would I test my scientific capabilities on myself?” The Doctor asked, “Why not get a bunch of guineapigs…?” 

This time, Arthur saw the blood-whip creep up on him, and he breathed fire like a dragon, effectively scorching it, making the doctor gasp him pain. As though to punish Arthur, the second blood-whip snatched Arthur from the floor and whacked him against the ceiling before letting him drop like a rag-doll. 

“I do so many things… But yet, I can’t find the key to our power, if only you would COOPERATE!!” 

Arthur could hear the blood-whip coming from above him, and so he rolled away just in time to avoid it powerful swing. The doctor was close enough for Arthur to reach, so he breathed fire in his direction, forcing the doctor to step back. However, Arthur was still too close to him, and a blood-whip wrapped around his neck, cutting off his breath immediately and the flames he brought with it. Arthur couldn’t even get any flames to appear on his arms, he was reduced to wheezing as his hands helplessly tried to scratch at the blood-whip, which only coated his fingers in thick blood. 

“See….? You know so little; as well as water, your weakness is that you can’t make flames if you can’t breathe! Gilbert has the same weakness, if he stops breathing, he can’t teleport.”   
Arthur gasped as he struggled to breathe, feeling the blood-whip only tighten around his neck. His lungs started to burn as he kicked his legs in a last attempt to use his strength, but the effort was futile.   
Arthur began to panic as his body began to twitch as he gasped for air. Arthur’s heart raced out of control as he felt himself slip in and out of consciousness, but he could still hear the doctor speaking as the Englishman’s vision blurred. 

“Wait, you can’t breathe?! How are you—WHAT?!” 

Something was wrong, despite everything he could feel burning and smell smoke, smoke unlike his own. His twitching became worse as he was engulfed by a bright light. He screamed loudly as everything around him erupted into powerful flames, and suddenly it was followed by the scream of the doctor and the breaking of glass. 

Despite being able to breathe again, Arthur couldn’t move, as he felt his consciousness drift away from him. He breathed heavily and took in his own smoke and began to choke on it, but yet he still couldn’t move, or fight against the darkness that loomed over him… But yet, he was ok with it… He contemplated fighting for his life, however, he lost the argument, he did what he could and shouldn’t fight against the inevitable punishment for everything he had done. He knew that if he died here, he would be ok with it, as long as the others got out ok… He accepted death like he was meeting the acquaintance of a friend, considering how many his flames had brought death to. He calmed down as he continued to breathe in the smoke.   
Arthur sighed as he tightly closed his eyes, but even then, he could still see the bright light of the inferno he created, before he drifted into unconsciousness. 

\------ 

Confident that Feliciano and Lovino were safe where he left them and trusting that Kiku was strong enough to guard them while they recovered, Ludwig returned to the fight readier than ever. The number of guards had decreased dramatically and Ludwig couldn’t help but smile: the fight was nearly over, and it looked like they were going to win.   
He could see all of the battle from where he stood: 

A firing squad positioned itself to aim at Alfred, and shot all at once, only for Alfred to raise his fist and catch the bullets in mid-air, before sending it back to them.   
One of the remaining guards became Francis’ next mind-victim, and began to shot down anyone who Francis chose.   
With one powerful stomp, Ivan destroyed a wall of ice he created, allowing Yao to run out with his arms at the ready: surging with electricity as his eyes glowed. 

But… Where’s Arthur…? Ludwig frowned, but returned to the battle without too much trouble, he knew that Arthur was capable of looking after himself. 

“Things are looking good,” Francis pointed out as he approached Alfred. Seeing that the last of the guards had fallen, now he trusted that Yao will take care of the remaining four, “I heard some of the guard’s thoughts, apparently the doctor has run inside the building, do you think it’s worth chasing him? Hopefully Matthew and Gilbert get back soon.” 

“Have you seen Arthur?” Alfred asked. 

Francis frowned, seeing the image of Arthur running away that Alfred saw, realising that the doctor retreated at the same time that Alfred last saw Arthur… Francis’ didn’t like this at all… He knows that Arthur wouldn’t have abandoned this fight for anything, so what took Arthur away had to be important.... And the idea of that gave Francis a very sick feeling in his stomach... Something was wrong, very wrong... 

Seeing the worry on Francis’s face, Alfred asked, “You don’t think he’s---”   
The American was interrupted by a large crash, as the second-floor window of the facility burst open with flames. And a figure flew through the flames before landing on the grass below. 

“What the…?” Alfred whispered, as the figure stole the attention of the entire group. He wasn’t moving, but still, no one dared to approach him, something was off about him. But Alfred couldn’t ponder for long, for the figure quickly got up, and was immediately recognised as the doctor. 

“IT’S HIM!!” Ludwig cried, running at the doctor first, but then, a whip-made from blood wrapped around Ludwig’s arm, earning a shocked gasp from the entire group.   
The doctor had become gaunt and bloodied, blood running from his mouth, nose, ears and even eyes as he laughed, watching Ludwig struggle to unwrap the blood-whip from his arm. 

But then, Ludwig growled as he threw his arm over his head in a mocking-throw, using enough strength to throw the doctor over Ludwig’s head and back into the grass. Ludwig continued to throw the doctor around like a ragdoll, until the second whip knocked Ludwig off his feet, and the first whip curled itself around both of Ludwig's arms. 

“GET OFF OF HIM!!” Yao yelled running to help, only for the doctor to switch focus onto him, and grabbed the Chinaman by the waist and lifted him off the ground, as the whip he had wrapped around Ludwig’s arm flew the other way, sending the German flying into the wall. 

Seeing that Ivan was running over to help, the Doctor threw Yao into Ivan, sending them both tumbling.   
Everyone was already exhausted from the first wave of guards, and now they have this to deal with! And they’re missing four members!! 

“Alfred, get me close to him!” Francis gasped as he and Alfred broke into a run, intending to get close enough for Francis to read the doctors mind, and take him over. But the doctor saw them coming and sent his whip flying in their direction, stretching longer than either of them anticipated, and it knocked both of them unceremoniously to the ground. 

While on the ground, Alfred looked back up at the building, his eyes widening when he saw the devastation that the fire had created, the building was getting weaker by the minute, with the most intense flames radiating from the second floor. He concluded that that’s where Arthur must be, and Alfred wondered what was keeping him from being down there with the rest of the group.   
But before Alfred could worry for too long, he was snatched by the torso by the thick and moist blood whip and lifted from the ground, as was Francis, but he was kept much further away from where the Doctor stood, and was being held up by the chest. 

“I CAN’T BREATHE!!!” Francis screamed, struggling against the whip that was tightening its grip around his chest. 

Responding to Francis and Alfred’s screams, the three remaining members charged at him, but the Doctor moved the whip which held Alfred and used Alfred’s body as a weapon, swinging him at his own friends as the American panicked.   
Yao cartwheeled past Alfred and dashed at the doctor, his hands glowing with power as he rammed his fist into the doctor’s stomach, releasing a surge of electricity that was so strong, Alfred could feel the blood that was used to hold him begin to warm up. But it ended when Alfred was thrown at Yao, sending them both flying meters away from the battle, heaving in pain and struggling against fatigue and exhaustion. 

Francis was still struggling to breathe, feeling the grip of the blood whip get tighter and tighter with every breath he took. It was torture and he didn’t know how much longer he’d last. He knew that he would be the first target of the doctor, and he would take special care to make sure that the Frenchman didn’t get anywhere near him, and that he died first. Francis tried to scream for help, but he couldn’t anymore, he whimpered and trembled as he struggled to even pass the smallest of breaths through his restricted chest. He could hear the others trying to help him, but with even one whip, the doctor managed to keep them back. 

Until suddenly, “LET GO OF HIM!!!” 

Francis gasped as his chest finally had the space to expand, until it was interrupted by the pain of falling to the grass, sitting in a pool of warm, dark blood which used to be the whip that was squeezing the life out of him. But before him stood Kiku, standing guard with his one blade out and at the ready, soaked in the blood of the whip he destroyed. Even with his one arm, Kiku was not going to let the Doctor take anything more from him.   
Nearly everyone was back in action now, all ready for the final leg of the race for their freedom. All they have to do now is defeat the last enemy in their way, the one who started this entire thing…   
More importantly, it was time to show the doctor that he chose to mess with the wrong group of freaks…


	31. Chapter 31

Kiku breathed deeply, staring into the eyes of the mad doctor, the one responsible for the carnage, the loss and the pain of the entire group. He was the only obstacle left in Kiku’s quest for vengeance. He was not going to let the loss of one of his blades hold him back, he was going to use his one working arm to inflict all of the pain on the doctor that he brought to him. And Kiku knew that he wasn’t going to be fighting alone, and if they all work together as a team, they were unstoppable.

Suddenly, two figures sped past him, charging directly at the doctor as fast as speeding cars, the Italian brothers circled the doctor, so fast that they had become blurs. The Italians returned to action after their break, and they were back stronger than ever, determined to not lose this battle. Communicating in each other in Italian, Feliciano and Lovino zoomed in circles around the doctor, until they both suddenly dashed into him, both grabbing one of his whips before running in the opposite directions.

The doctor screamed at the intense stretch as both of his whips were stretched beyond the doctor’s reach, before they suddenly snapped, falling to the ground as pure blood, staining both of the Italians backs.

“EW! EW! EW!” Feliciano grimaced as his entire body shivered, before he broke into a run again, returning to his brother.  

Yao took the moment of the Doctors weakness to run at him again, and with his arms alight with his electrical power, he launched himself at the doctor, and after delivering a swift kick to throw him off, Yao shocked him, and the doctor screamed as he came alight with Yao’s electricity.

While this was happening, Ludwig lifted one of the armoured cars, hoisting it above his head, determined to throw it at the doctor once Yao was out of the way. But then, the car suddenly became extremely light on Ludwig’s arms, it had even started to lift. Ludwig looked back to see that Alfred was standing behind him, with his eyes glowing and his arms stretched outwards, Ludwig instantly caught on and let go of the car, impressed to see that Alfred’s telekinesis was lifting the armoured car.

With Yao finally out of the way, leaving the doctor heaving and charred, Alfred dashed at the doctor, holding the floating car high above his head.

“Show off,” Ludwig chuckled as the car started to circle Alfred as the American chased the doctor. Suddenly, Alfred slammed the car down on top of the doctor, but before it could squash him, the doctor manifested two new blood whips, and held them against the car, holding off Alfred’s power. Locked in a power struggle, the two men strained, one pushing against and the other pushing away, both determined to come out on top, but who would win, the telekinetic, or the blood whips?

It quickly became clear that the doctor was struggling the hardest, and was slowly losing more and more space under the car. But he wasn’t going to give in, even if he had to be sneaky, he put all of his power into one huge push, which made Alfred push harder, when suddenly, the doctor ran away from the car, using his whips to hold it in place, before suddenly letting go. Since all of Alfred’s strength and concentration was put to pushing the car down, Alfred couldn’t control himself and sent the car plummeting into the ground.

“GOD DAMMIT!” Alfred snapped, seeing that the car was utterly destroyed by his endeavour. But still, Alfred simply took a deep breath, and lifted the dozens of sharp pieces of car, perhaps this was for the best, instead of having one large weapon, he had dozens of little ones, which was much easier for his telekinesis to handle.

Francis watched the doctor and waited for the right time to strike, he knew that the doctor was watching out with him, and the Frenchman didn’t want to get caught in his grip again, even with Kiku staying close behind him, ready to attack if the doctor tried again. All Francis needed was to wait for the doctor to not focus on him, then he was going to sneak up on him and take control the second he could.

\----

“There…” Gilbert whispered, pointing to a door that read, ‘CARPARK’. Matthew’s eyes widened as he grabbed Gilbert’s arm, jumping for joy.

“Yes!” Matthew hissed, “Finally!”

“Now we just need to get in there…” Gilbert whispered, as he and the Canadian slowly made their way towards the door, keeping watch for any guards that could turn into the hallway. 

“Hey, but what if there are people in there?” Matthew pointed out.

“Then I’ll go in alone,” Gilbert replied.

“What? No,” Matthew replied, “I’m coming with you, we’re stronger together, no splitting up.”

“Right,” Gilbert replied, “So, what’s the plan, what if there are dozens of guards in there?”

Matthew and Gilbert stared at each other, both worried over the possibility… But this was something that had to be done, or the group won’t have a way to escape. Nodding, Gilbert put his arm around Matthew and then teleported past the door into the garage. The garage was dark and cold, with a small light coming from the desk in the corner, immediately Matthew turned invisible and Gilbert fell to the floor, sliding underneath the nearest black van to hide. Matthew slowly walked through the dark space, using the light to guide him through the dark space. Dozens of large cars and black vans were parked, and Matthew could hear the footsteps of guards walking around the space, and even a few voices. Suddenly, the space was filled with a bright white light. Matthew found himself standing in the middle of the space, and he could see the large gun a guard was holding as he walked by Matthew, in that moment, the Canadian had never been more thankful that he was invisible.

“HEY!!” A guard screamed, and instantly, Matthew froze when he heard gunshots roar through the car park. But then, he felt somewhat relived when he saw Gilbert dash past the row of cars that Matthew was standing in, teleporting into one of the vans.

But then, Matthew gasped when two guards saw Gilbert doing it too.

“G.B is in here! L.B shouldn’t be too far behind!” A guard pointed out.

“CHECK THE ENTIRE AREA!” Another guard yelled, “CHECK IF MORE OF THEM ARE IN HERE!!”

Matthew then ran to the car that Gilbert was hiding in, sneaking up on the guards that were trying to open the door with the keys. But then, Matthew snatched the large gun from the guard’s holster and shot, the shock of his own actions making Matthew visible again.

“M.W! M.W IS OUT!!” The other guard shouted, before Matthew silenced him too, shaking from the adrenaline, he hadn’t even realised that he was visible yet.

Shaking, Matthew then took the keys from the fallen guard, and used it to unlock the back doors to the van, listening to more guards panicking over the possibility of there being more members of the group inside the car park. As soon as Matthew opened the door to the van, the lights came on, revealing Gilbert, who was lying in the centre of the floor, probably terrified that they were going to start shooting. Both sides of the van were lined with steel benches, and the walls were lined with shelves filled with files, and drawers.

“Come on, we need to get moving, now!” Matthew cried, fiddling with the keys, relived to see that the guard had been carrying the keys for the car’s engine as well. So quickly, Matthew and Gilbert ran to the front of the van, sitting in the driver and passenger’s seats.

\----

Francis waited, not moving as he watched the Doctor swing his whips around, trying to knock away anyone who got too close. He was constantly kept busy by Feliciano and Lovino, who were dashing in and out, sometimes getting close enough to deliver a decent punch or kick before he could swat them away like flies.

But, the Italians were ruthless, and Alfred, Yao and Ludwig circled around the permitter, intending to step in if anything went wrong. There was a new plan now, and it revolved around getting Francis close enough to the doctor to take control of him, and end this madness.

“Are you ok?” Alfred asked, suddenly appearing from behind Francis. Instantly, Francis could read Alfred’s thoughts, and he knew exactly what Alfred was meaning. He was feeling bad for not being able to save Francis when he was being squeezed by the doctor’s whip; choking.

“I’m fine,” Francis replied, before looking at the American, seeing the pieces of sharp metal and pieces of car that Alfred was carrying with his telekinesis. “I’m impressed now.”

“Cool, ain’t it!?” Alfred chuckled.

Francis looked at Kiku, who was standing beside him, seeing the young mans eyes remained fixed to the doctor. Even without understanding the language of his thoughts, Francis could tell that he was itching for a fight, but he knew that because of his condition, he was at the disadvantage, and he was better served to guiding Francis. Kiku was smart, and calculated every step he made, knowing that he will strike when he gets the perfect chance, and nothing was going to distract him from that.

Suddenly, Francis froze when the doctor’s head snapped over in their direction, and Francis was so tempted to run at the doctor to get him into his radius—but he knew what would happen already, he would only be giving the Doctor another opportunity to try and kill him. And Francis was not going to give him that opportunity.

Like clockwork, Lovino dashed at the Doctor and punched him hard enough to nearly knock him to the ground, but as the Italian dashed away, he was not fast enough and a bloody whip wrapped around Lovino’s ankle and latched on tightly, before pulling back and dragging Lovino aross the grass backwards.

“SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!” Lovino screamed, grabbing at the grass desperately as the whip started to drag him towards the doctor.

“LOVI!” Feliciano screamed, taking his brother by the hands as Ivan and Yao saw their opportunity to run at the doctor as he tried to pull Lovino into the air by his ankle, lifting Feliciano off the ground as well.

But quickly, the doctor dropped the Italians to focus on the current threat, and wrapped one whip around Yao’s torso, trapping his arms, and the other wrapped around Ivan’s arm, holding both attackers in place. This was when Francis saw his opportunity, and ran with Alfred and Kiku around the doctor, making sure to still stay far out of his radius as they moved behind him.

That was when Francis heard Alfred suddenly think, and speak at the same time.

“Arthur hasn’t come out yet!” Alfred exclaimed.

Francis frowned, looking back to when Arthur was last seen, recounting Alfred’s memory of seeing Arthur run back into the facility, where it was now erupting into flames. At the realisation that he hadn’t returned in a worrying amount of time, Alfred and Francis suddenly looked at each other, and then back at the burning building behind them. But, what made this worse, was the fact that when they looked back at the doctor, who was still struggling to hold back Ivan and Yao, to see a smile that sent a sickening feeling down to their stomachs.

“Oh God…” Francis muttered, as Alfred stumbled backwards.

“Go find him!” Kiku hissed at Alfred, “We’ll take care of this!” 

“FUCK! FUCK!” Alfred cried, immediately running back towards the marble staircase into the building, leaving Francis alone, before Ludwig took his place, noticing the commotion.

The doctor didn’t remain focussed on Francis, Kiku and Ludwig for very long, because Ivan roared as he placed his free hand on the blood whip, and watched as the ice travelled up the whip, freezing it slowly as the doctor struggled to now get Ivan out of his grip. And so, with what remained of his free whip, the doctor threw Ivan and Yao together, sending them both to the ground, groaning in pain as the Italians sped past them.

With Ivan gone, the Doctors blood whip remained half frozen at the end. But once again, the doctor proved the impressive control over his powers, and he dropped the part of the whip that had been frozen, and the rest of the whip grew back perfectly, at the expense of his body. From where Francis stood, he could see the doctor’s bones sticking out from under his shirt, and how his skin had become a deathly shade of pale—the man looked like a corpse, with the only colour being the deep red of the blood that seeped from his eyes, mouth, nose and ears. He was slowly becoming a monster.

 _“I’M DONE PLAYING GAMES!!!”_ The doctor roared, swinging his whips at Feliciano and Lovino, and faster than they could duck, Lovino immediately fell to the ground and Feliciano was thrown towards Ludwig, where the Doctor hadn’t noticed that Francis and Kiku had moved.

Immediately, Ludwig braced himself, and even ran into Feliciano’s path, catching the screaming Italian before he could hit the ground.

Suddenly, a car came speeding around the side of the building, a black armoured van. At first Ludwig was anxious, until he saw the car stop, and Gilbert and Matthew run out of the front seats. Eager to help their friends.

“They did it!” Feliciano gasped as Ludwig helped him back onto his feet.

“What happened?” matthew asked, running to Ludwig and Feliciano, whereas Gilbert was going straight for the Doctor, teleporting a few metres with every step, going in multiple different directions to mess with the Doctor. Ludwig wasn’t surprised that Gilbert ran right into the battle, he didn’t even seemed concerned that the Doctor had blood whips.

But as quickly as Gilbert started to fight the Doctor, one of the blood-whips caught Gilbert by around the neck and dragged him across the ground as the German struggled.

“GILBERT!” Ludwig cried as he ran to Gilbert, ready to help him, but suddenly, Kiku dashed at the doctor, running his blade across the blood whip that was trapping Gilbert, and cut it away like a vine. He was careful about using his whips around Kiku, judging by how he could easily cut them off. But, weirdly, Kiku was keeping his distance, running erratically, and keeping himself in the Doctors field-of-vision, like he wanted to keep the Doctors attention only on him.

But, the Doctor realised this too late, and didn’t realise that Francis had snuck behind him, and forced the Doctor into his mind-reading radius, where Francis quickly took a mental hold of him. The Doctor was forced still, and then to his knees, revealing Francis, who stood behind him with glowing white eyes.

“You… You got him…” Yao grumbled, as he helped Ivan off the ground, both of them still aching from when the Doctor slammed the two together.

But Francis wasn’t listening, he had already forced himself into the mind of the doctor, and was looking for a memory he could use to at least explain what was going on, and why… The Frenchman completely left the physical world, and entered the one deep within the Doctor’s mind, where he could do whatever he wanted. He was doing what he did to everyone in the group when watching their memories, but this time, he wasn’t careful about it.

Francis finally found a memory, it was a very powerful one, which occurred many years before Francis was born. Intrigued, Francis entered the memory, and found himself standing in an office, he could smell the outdated cigarettes wafter throughout the room, and he was standing behind a young man who was sitting at the desk, where the calendar stated that he was living in the late 80’s. The young man who sat at the desk was immediately recognised as the Doctor in his younger years, perhaps mid-twenties. He was new to his position of paper within a large company, and he was well aware of the powers he had inside of him, in fact; his mind was filed with thoughts of ways he could figure out how they worked, and why he had them. Even in the drawer of his desk, there was a small notebook which was filled with sketches of his blood-whips, as well as theories of why he had them. He had become obsessed with mutilation and auto-surgery, anything to help him get a better look at himself, and to see if there was a way for him to share his abilities. He had dreams of a powerful military, a military built of soldiers with extraordinary abilities… He knew that he had so much potential inside of him, he just had to learn how to harness it and make a profit.

Suddenly, the door to his office opened, and an older man walked in, holding a pile.

“Did you hear what happened in Eastern Europe?” The man began.

“The walls down? Right?” The Doctor asked, not concerned at all.

“Well, yes, but they found a girl that the Soviets were keeping, _whose blood was black…”_ The man stated, which instantly stole the attention of the doctor, “And burns anything it touches… Sound familiar?”

“Are you being serious?” The Doctor asked, his eyes widening as he looked up at the man, “You mean to tell me that I’m not the only person who…?”

“I always knew you weren’t alone,” The man pointed out, “I bet they’re all over Europe, all over the world, in fact.” Then, he took the file that he was carrying, and spread the papers out on the desk for the young Doctor to see. “That’s why… I think it’s worth it if we make a few deals, and find these people…”

“Oh Christ…” The Doctor gasped, looking over the papers like a child with a Christmas present, making Francis frowned.

“Find others like yourself, find out what makes them special and how _we_ can take it,” The man explained, “What I have here should be enough to get you started and get you staff who won’t ask too many questions and the tools you need. _And the authorities won’t look too hard.”_ This was the statement that made Francis gasp, reeling at the amount of corruption it must have taken to this.

“T-This is…” The Doctor gasped, flipping through the pages of the file, amazed at the detail and the freedom this granted him, overwhelmed with joy that he could now explore his sick ideas and fantasies.

“However, I don’t want you to hurt yourself… There will be no more of _this,”_ The man explained, gesturing to cutting his arms, referring to the Doctors powers, “You can only do that when you know what you’re doing, try out your theories on the other freaks you find.”

“Yes, thank you… I won’t let you down,” The Doctor explained, high with enthusiasm, “Father.”

Finally, Francis had enough and decided that he was not going to stand by his rules anymore—breaking the self-imposed rules of his memory viewing, Francis wrapped his hands around the doctor’s neck, and screamed into his ear, knowing that he was about to ruin the Doctors mind.

Meanwhile, in reality, everyone watched in silence as Francis stared down at the Doctor, his eyes glowing as he stood over him. The sight was unsettling, and no one knew what to do.

But then, Francis suddenly shuddered, and began to tremble as he stumbled forward slightly, but what made this worse, was the fact that the Doctor started to scream.

“What the…?” Lovino gasped, feeling Feliciano hold tightly onto his arm as the remaining group watched on his fear as the Doctor continued to scream, and Francis’ face remained completely blank, even as blood started to drip from his nose.

“Oh God, should we separate them?!” Ivan asked, becoming more panicked, along with the other members of the group.

“Should we?!” Kiku asked.

“What if that’s dangerous?!” Feliciano asked.

“But, we what if it’s hurting Francis!?” Yao asked.

“We can’t just leave him like this!” Gilbert snapped.

 _“GeT oUt Of My HeAd!!!!!!!!!”_ The Doctor screeched, spewing blood on his lap as Francis shuddered, before the Doctor swung his whips around, before anyone else could react, knocking everyone to their knees, gasping in pain.

\------

“ARTHUR!!” Alfred cried, running up the staircase, determined to get to the level where the huge fire started, hoping that Arthur would still be there.

Alfred then lifted his shirt high enough, so it rested on the bridge of his nose, in a pathetic attempt to filter the smoke that came pouring into the staircase. This only made Alfred more worried for Arthur’s safety, as he couldn’t think about any reason why Arthur wouldn’t have come back out. With a stomach filled to brim with dread as he pushed forward, despite the burning of the smoke in his throat, but he knew that he wasn’t going to turn back now, he wasn’t going to leave Arthur behind.

The office was nearly completely engulfed with flames, nearly every piece of furniture was saveable, and the walls had been broken in, and even the interior was catching fire. This only made Alfred worry for Arthur’s fate even more.

He tried his best to not picture the worst, despite how long Arthur had been missing, and how bad the flames were as he walked further into what appeared to be an office area.

“ARTHUR!!” Alfred screamed, “ARTHUR, ARE YOU HERE!?!”

He continued to run through the level, trying his best to avoid running through the flames, he felt his bare skin sizzle under the heat, and the smoke burn his throat. The search began to feel pointless, and Alfred’s anxiety grew as he pondered over whether Arthur could still be there—but what could have happened to him? What’s stopped him from returning to the group, especially at such a dangerous time? He knew that this fire was the result of Arthur’s fury, so he had to be here… Something was wrong.

But then, there was an anomaly in the fire, and it caught Alfred’s eye for him long enough to find what he was looking for.

 _“Arthur!”_ Alfred cried as he ran over to the oddity, quickly learning that it was Arthur, lying on his back in the middle of a ring of fire, where he remained completely untouched. When Arthur didn’t respond, Alfred braced himself and ran through the ring of fire, getting into Arthur’s area. Wasting no more time, Arthur fell to his knees by Arthur’s side, gasping when he saw the dried blood around Arthur’s neck, as well as the scorching of his clothes, and the gathering smoke on his face and hair, “FUCK! NO!” Alfred cried as he pulled Arthur’s head towards his lap, looking down at his face, “COME ON, DUDE! DON’T PULL THIS ON ME! PLEASE!”

Alfred quickly pulled Arthur up, and placed his ear against the Englishman’s chest, desperate to hear anything, but then, instead of an immediate heartbeat, Alfred heard Arthur cough.

“ARTHUR!!” Alfred cried, looking down at Arthur with a wide smile, watching as the Englishman frowned and looked around.

“W-What?” Arthur asked, his voice raspy and coarse, before breaking into another coughing fit.

“Shit, we’ve gotta get you out of here,” Alfred grumbled as he hooked his arm under Arthur’s knees and across his shoulders. 

“Wh—Alfred!” Arthur gasped, holding on tightly when Alfred lifted him from the ground.

“No! You’ve been hurt!” Alfred explained when Arthur fought him as he began to run back through the burning office, desperate to get out of there before either of them fall to smoke inhalation. Alfred sped up as he listened to the foundations of the building moan, Alfred knew instantly that the building was going to fall, and it was going to fall soon. Alfred jumped through more flames, quickly making it to the staircase, which had become filled with smoke, so much so, that Alfred struggled to move down the steps, because he struggled to see the steps. But, he continued, feeling Arthur hold on tightly to the American, like he was being carried out by a firefighter.

“Thank you…” Arthur whispered into Alfred’s ear, when he finally reached the bottom of the stairs and ran from the staircase and into the lobby. Where he was relieved to finally be breathing in fresh air, and when they finally passed the glass doors outside, Alfred laid Arthur down on the concrete stairs as Arthur gasped for the fresh air, and Alfred could instantly see the Englishman’s strength return.

Alfred then looked up and out into the courtyard, where the sight of what was going on made him freeze.

The Doctor was still standing, covered in his own blood, his whips had become thin and long, and where whaling around madly, with Matthew’s ankle being trapped in one as he frantically swapped between being visible and invisible, and Yao was trapped in the other whip, both screaming in distress and fear as the doctors shook them around like ragdolls, swatting away one who got too close, even Feliciano and Lovino were cautious to get close, as they were busy pulling Francis, who had been completely knocked out, into the back of a black armoured van.

“Oh shit…” Arthur gasped, seeing the same sight as Alfred.

“Are you feeling better?” Alfred asked.

“Much,” Arthur grumbled, before rising from the ground and sprinting towards the Doctor, with Alfred following. Immediately, Arthur’s arms ignited into powerful flames, which twinkled in the doctor’s eyes as he turned around to see Arthur running at him. “THOUGHT YOU SAW THE LAST OF ME, YOU BASTARD!!”

“Arthur!” Ludwig cried, as Arthur launched his flames at the Doctor, not seeing the Matthew was being launched in his direction, and right as the Doctor was engulfed into Arthur’s flames, Matthew collided into Arthur, sending them both crashing to the ground a few meters away.

What followed was a mix of attacks from multiple members of the group, some were coordinated, like when Feliciano and Lovino tripped the Doctor, and then dragged him across the ground, where Yao pounced on top of him and delivered a quick shock. Others were chaotic, like when Gilbert grabbed the doctor and rapidly teleported with him, one of which involved reappearing mid-air, which sent the doctor plummeting to the ground.

But, while watching the action, Kiku couldn’t help but feel as though there was something he could do, other than guard Francis, who was lying unconscious in the back of the black armoured van. The fight was calling for him, calling for him to put an end to this.

Arthur had the same feelings, roaring powerful flames as he and Alfred dashed at the doctor, with Alfred’s telekinesis carrying multiple stone tiles lifted from the ground they stood on. Arthur stopped breathing his flames as a whip tried to smack him, but Alfred stood in the way, using the tiles he had picked up to push the whip away from Arthur. Only for it to wrap around Alfred’s torso and pick him and Arthur up, effectively tying them together, back to back as Arthur resumed to roar flames from his mouth.

“FUCK!!” Alfred roared, not able to concentrate hard enough to pick anything up with his powers, as the whip furiously shook them like ragdolls, and Alfred was also worried about the heat generating from Arthur’s flames, which he could feel on his legs.

With his second whip, the Doctor continued to create chaos, laughing manically at anyone who got too close, before the sounds of Alfred and Arthur’s screams echoed throughout the entire courtyard, making every member of the group freeze from the realisation that the Doctors’ whip was squeezing the two, suffocating them.

 _“ONE MORE MOVE, AND I’LL BREAK ‘EM IN HALF!!!”_ The Doctor roared, wheezing in a voice that was almost not human. But even still, his exhaustion and rage sent a chill down the spines of every member listening, Matthew was even too afraid to turn invisible, worried that the Doctor would take that as a threat and hurt his friends.

Everyone’s eyes were on the doctor, all of them thinking of a way to possibly counterattack him and free Alfred and Arthur before he could hurt them too badly, but the doctor had his maddened and hollowed out eyes on all of them.  The man had come to resemble a corpse, with his lack of blood being startlingly obvious, he was like a bloodless corpse, still moving around, barely able to hold his own weight. But, his strength was in his blood whips, and whatever was keeping them alive.

No one knew that to do, or what was going to happen to them from that point, was the Doctor going to kill them anyway? There was no facility for him to keep them in, or any way for him to perform his experiments. His staff are all gone or dead, so there is no one to help him restrain them…

But then suddenly, the Doctor gasped, as a sharp blade protruded from inside his chest, coming directly through his heart, impaling him. The Doctor gasped for air as his whips suddenly turned to liquid, releasing Alfred and Arthur, letting them drop to the ground where they gasped for air.

The Doctors weak hand made its way to the blade, in a weak attempt to pull it back, but it was no use, Kiku kicked the doctor knees, sending him to the ground, where his blade only worsened the Doctors wound.

“No! NO! _NO!!”_ The doctor wheezed, his wrists spurting with what little blood remained in his body, it was pathetic to watch now. Such a formidable enemy, who had orchestrated this entire disaster and crimes against the group was forced to his knees as every remaining member of the group made their way over to help.

“It’s over now…” Kiku whispered, narrowing his eyes as he stared down at the Doctor, listening to the man who had caused him so much pain writhe underneath him, struggling to breathe as the injury caused by Kiku’s blade continued to drain him of what little life the man had left. Kiku had aimed directly for the heart, and as he predicted, he got his target with terrifying accuracy, his mother would have been proud of him. He took advantage of being a hidden weapon, and waited for the perfect moment to strike and finish the job in the fastest time possible. And his missing blade did not hinder him anymore, while the pain and scar will probably remain with him for the rest of his life. But that was another problem for another day.

“Kiku…” Feliciano softly muttered, patting his Japanese friend softly on the shoulder, stealing his attention, “We need to go now, we’re going to get out of here…”

Kiku’s eyes widened as he slowly retracted his blade back into his arm, letting the Doctor fall, finally silent, silent enough for Kiku to freeze.

“Come on! We need to go!” Gilbert yelled to Feliciano and Kiku, “Matthew and I grabbed food from inside, please come and have something!”

Then Alfred stuck his head out of the van, holding an apple, as he and Arthur sat by Francis, who had finally started to wake up, and wipe away the blood from his nose. “We have a long drive ahead of us!”

And so, with no clear path before them, the group set off, determined to go somewhere—anywhere where they could put this disaster behind them. Anywhere where they can return to lives of somewhat normality, even though the trauma of what they’ve experienced will never leave them.

The entire group fell into silence within minutes of leaving the facility in the black armoured van, sitting around like a group of run-aways, with many people sharing seatbelts or sitting on the large amount of floor space.

They had all accepted that the memories of their experience were going to haunt them forever, the atrocities they had committed in the pursuit of freedom was also something that was going to live with them until the day they die. However, they accepted it, as they knew that they did what they had to. They won.

As a team, they knew that they could survive anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to thank everyone for making it this far, I'm sorry that the updates have been so slow. 
> 
> But thank you for much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


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